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today, Rio's newly crowned Rei (King) Momo will be presented with the keys to
the city, and he'll then raise his golden 'staff of state' to officially begin
the annual rites of the world's largest party, Carnaval. And
while other Brazilian cities and many nations will join in with their own celebrations,
none come close to the rapturous passion of Rio's 4-day, non-stop holiday. Our
own Mardi Gras, whne compared to Rio's famed Sambadrome is like a match to a bonfire. This
year, Rio's Carnival runs from February 2nd through the 8th. Dozens of pre-Carnival
festivities (including many of the more notorious Carnaval Balls) begin earlier,
while the Champions Parade will wrap up the celebration with the awards ceremonies. Carnaval
In Rio de Janiero - 2008 Tomorrow's
(Saturday) schedule begins the wind-up, with the Cinelandia Balls, where more
than 60,00 will dance the nights away, to the Costume parades which snake continuously
throughout Rio's and its neighborhoods. Sunday is the main even for the Parade
competition, where the top seven Escolas do Samba, or 'Samba Schools' will present
their Carnaval theme, with grandious floats, their unique Samba Enredo (the song
the group will march to) and literally thousands - as many as 5,000 - brightly
costumed marchers presented in blocos (or groups) to visually portray aspects
of their theme. Here's
this year's schedule for Sunday's parade order, along with links to some of the
top Samba Schools' websites (in Portuguese): Salgueiro
www.salgueiro.com.br
Rocinha
www.academicosdarocinha.com.br
Imperatriz Leopoldinense
www.imperatrizleopoldinense.com.br
Caprichosos
de Pilares
www.caprichososdepilares.com.br
Vila
Isabel
www.vilaisabel.com.br
Grande
Rio
www.academicosdogranderio.com.br
Beija-Flor
www.beija-flor.com.br
This
year, wall-towall coverage of Carnaval in Rio, Sao Paulo and Bahia is found on
TV Globo International, available via DISH Network by clicking here. Visit
Riotur's Carnaval site in Engish here. The
Hard Work of Samba The
planning and preparation for these large parades is an almost-daily, year-long
process, which begins to all come together in November of each year via dozens
and dozens of rehearsals, some of which are open to the public. These
rehearsals are the best introduction to the authentic samba. The moment the first
pulsating sounds from the percussion instruments of a samba school are heard,
one's whole body responds and the feet follow the rhythm. All samba schools have
a rehearsal yard or hall, generally used on weekends. There people dance and learn
the samba of the school that will be presented at the parade. It is undoubtedly
an unforgettable experience. There are also dress rehearsal at the Passarela do
Samba, a good opportunity to enjoy part of the great festivity. Watching
the samba schools parade is living Carnaval itself. It means bouncing about, singing
the lyrics of the sambas, supporting the schools, vibrating with the exciting
atmosphere. For one hour and twenty minutes each school exhibits the beautiful
creativity of local artisans, in a show of vitality, brilliance and movement,
product of the community's hard work throughout the year. Groups of helpers are
organized and, in the huge sheds in the Center, work does not stop. For those
who take part in the whole process, the samba school is like a religion and every
year the ritual of joy is dazzling.
History
of Brazil's Carnaval
Brazil's
Carnaval is an annual celebration held forty days before Easter (marking the start
of Lent), in Brazil. It has some differences from its counterparts in Europe,
as well there being variations across the large Brazilian territory. The Brazilian
Carnival is known in Brazil simply as carnaval. Despite
the Catholic inspiration, Brazilian Carnival is celebrated more as a profane feast
than a religious event. Its origins are European, by a kind of carnival called
Introito (Latin for entrance). The entrudo, as it was known in Brazil, could have
been characterized mainly as a joke: to throw water (and later, other things)
at other people, to "purify the body". The entrudo was prohibited, without
success, in the middle of the 19th Century, as it was considered violent by the
upper classes (it is said that many people died from infections and other diseases,
since even rotten fruits were sometimes thrown). In
the late 19th Century, the cordões (literally laces in Portuguese) were
introduced in Rio de Janeiro, which consisted of groups of people who would walk
on the streets playing music and dancing. The cordões were ancestors of
the modern samba schools. The
blocos (blocks), another name for the cordões, are some of the current
representations of the popular Brazilian Carnival. They are formed by people who
dress in costumes according to certain themes, or to celebrate the carnival in
specific ways. The schools of samba are truly organizations that work all year
in order to prepare themselves for the samba schools parade. The
best-known Brazilian Carnival celebration takes place in Rio de Janeiro, with
its samba schools, blocos and bandas occupying entire neighborhoods. In
Salvador and other cities of the Northeastern Region, there is another form of
the Brazilian Carnival: the Trio Elétrico. A trio elétrico is an
adapted truck, with giant speakers and a platform where musicians play songs of
local genres such as Axé music and Maracatu (in Recife). During
the Carnival, a fat man is elected to represent the role of Rei Momo, the "king"
of Carnival, whose rule is one of fun instead of that of everyday authorities.
The tradition of the king probably originates with the tradition of the king and
queen of maracatu, which in turn has its origins in the days of slavery in the
northeast where some slaves who were leaders were given a greater level of responsibility. this
section courtesy of Wikipedia.com
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