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Brazilian Carnival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brazilian Carnival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Carnival of Brazil (Portuguese: Carnaval, IPA: [kana

vaw]) is an annual festival held during the Friday to the
Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning
of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. On certain days
of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians
traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and
poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to
remove (literally, "raise") meat."[1] Carnival has roots in the
pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Catholicism
became a farewell to well things in a season of religious
discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's
death and resurrection.
Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of
Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro,
So Paulo and Vitria, huge organized parades are led by
samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be
watched by the public, while minor parades ("blocos")
allowing public participation can be found in other cities. The
northeastern cities of Recife, Olinda, Salvador and Porto
Seguro have organized groups parading through streets, and
public interacts directly with them. This carnival is also
influenced by African-Brazilian culture. It's a six-day party
where crowds follow the trios eltricos through the city
streets, dancing and singing. Also in northeast, Olinda
carnival features unique characteristics, heavily influenced by
local folklore and cultural manifestations, such as Frevo and
Maracatu.
The typical genres of music of Brazilian carnival are, in Rio de
Janeiro (and Southeast Region in general): the samba-enredo,
the samba de bloco, the samba de embalo and the
marchinha; in Pernambuco and Bahia (and Northeast Region
in general) the main genres are: the frevo, the maracatu, the
samba-reggae and Ax music.
Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become
an event of huge proportions. Except for industrial
production, retail establishments such as malls, and carnivalrelated businesses, the country stops completely for almost a
week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in
coastal cities.[2] Rio de Janeiro's carnival alone drew 4.9
million people in 2011, with 400,000 being foreigners.[3]

Contents

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Carnival

Brazilian Carnival

The Brazilian singer Kelly Key in Samba School

Parade in Rio de Janeiro.
Also called

Carnaval, Carnival, Rio Carnival

Observed by Brazilians, communities worldwide

Type

Cultural, Religious
(Roman Catholicism)

Significance Four days before Ash Wednesday

2013 date

812 February

2014 date

28 February 4 March

2015 date

1317 February

Duration

4 days

Frequency

annual

Related to

Ash Wednesday, Valentine's Day,

Lent, Carnival

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Contents
1 Styles by state
1.1 Rio de Janeiro
1.2 Bahia style
1.3 Pernambuco style
1.4 So Paulo style
1.5 Minas Gerais style
1.6 Others
2 Sambdromo
3 Music
3.1 Samba
3.2 Frevo
3.3 Ax
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Styles by state
Rio de Janeiro
Main article: Rio Carnival
Rio de Janeiro style originally mimicked the European form of the festival,
later absorbing and creolizing elements derived from Native American
and African cultures.
In the late 19th century, the cordes (literally "cords", laces or strings in
Portuguese) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant
groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and
A Samba school parades in the
dancing. Today they are known as Blocos (blocks), consisting of a group
Sambadrome in the 2004 Carnival.
of people who dress in costumes or special t-shirts with themes and/or
logos. Blocos are generally associated with particular neighborhoods;
they include both a percussion or music group and an entourage of revellers. They eventually became the "fathers"
of what we today know as the famous and world wide samba-schools in Brazil. Samba-school (not only in Rio de
Janeiro, but So Paulo too) is the cultural epicenter of the Brazilian carnival, in terms of the "parading style". The
first registered samba-school was called "Deixa-falar", but disappeared later and the first official samba-school
contest happened in 1929, with only three groups, and "Oswaldo Cruz" group won the competition, with a samba
written by Heitor dos Prazeres. GRES Estao Primeira de Mangueira Samba-School, represented by Cartola,
and Estcio de S samba School, represented by Ismael Silva, were the other 2 contestants. Eventually, "Oswaldo
Cruz" became, GRES Portela Samba School, the greatest winner of Rio's Carnival with 21 Titles.

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Street Carnival Bands, called "Blocos de Rua", have become an expressive feature of Rio's Carnival. Today, they
number more than 440 (considering 2012 Rio Carnival only) and the groups increase each year. Blocos can be
formed by small or large groups of revelers with a distinct title with an often funny pun. (Os blocos RJ, para os
solteiros, so um lugar para conhecer e at beijar pessoas, or "The blocos in Rio de Janeiro, for the singles, are
places to meet and even kiss people.") They may also note their neighborhood or social status. Before the show,
they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach. Some blocos never leave one
street and have a particular place, such as a bar, to attract viewers. Block parades start in January, and may last
until the Sunday after Carnival.
Blocos parades occur in nearly every neighborhood throughout the city
and metropolitan areas, but the most famous are the ones in
Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Botnico, and in
downtown Rio. Organizers often compose their own music themes that
are added to the performance and singing of classic "marchinhas" and
samba popular songs. "Cordo do bola preta" ("Polka Dot Bloco"), that
goes through the heart of Rio's historical center, and "Suvaco do Cristo"
(Christ's statue armpit, referring to the angle of the statue seen from the
neighborhood), near the Botanical Garden, are some of the most famous
groups. Monobloco has become so famous that it plays all year round at
parties and small concerts.

Mestre Sala e Porta-Bandeira, a

double executing typical performance
and opening a samba school
exhibition.

Samba schools are very large groups of performers, financed by

respected organizations (as well as illegal gambling groups), who work
year round in preparation for Carnival. Samba Schools perform in the
Sambadrome, which runs four entire nights and is overseen by LIESA.[4] They are part of an official competition,
divided into seven divisions, in which a single school is declared the winner, according to ten judging categories[5]
that include costume, flow, theme, and band music quality and performance. Some samba schools also hold street
parties in their neighborhoods, through which they parade along with their followers.

The performers have to wear a costume, most of them receive it for free from being part of the community or pay a
small amount for it. But tourists can have the same experience on the "Commercial Area" of some Samba
Schools.[6]
Carnival time in Rio is a very interesting, but is also the most expensive time to visit Rio. Hotel rooms and other
lodgings can be up to four times more expensive than the regular rates. There are big crowds at some locations and
life is far from ordinary in many parts of town.

Bahia style
Main article: Bahian Carnival
There are several major differences between Carnival in the state of Bahia in Northeastern Brazil and Carnival in
Rio de Janeiro. The musical styles are different at each carnival; in Bahia there are many rhythms, including samba,
samba-reggae, ax, etc., while in Rio there is the multitude of samba styles: the "samba-enredo", the "samba de
bloco", the "samba de embalo", the "funk-samba", as well as the famous "marchinhas" played by the "bandas" in the
streets.

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In the 1880s, the black population commemorated the days of Carnival in its own way, highly marked by Yoruba
characteristics, dancing in the streets playing instruments. This form was thought of as "primitive" by the upper-class
white elite, and the groups were banned from participating in the official Bahia Carnival, dominated by the local
conservative elite. The groups defied the ban and continued to do their dances.
By the 1970s, four main types of carnival groups developed in Bahia: Afoxs, Trios Eltricos, "Amerindian" groups,
and Blocos Afros. Afoxs use the rhythms of the African inspired religion, Candombl. They also worship the gods
of Candombl, called orixs. An Electric Trio is characterized by a truck
equipped with giant speakers and a platform where musicians play songs
of local genres such as ax. People follow the trucks singing and dancing.
The "Amerindian" groups were inspired by Western movies from the
United States. The groups dress up as native Americans and take on
native American names. Blocos Afros, or Afro groups, were influenced
by the Black Pride Movement in the United States, independence
movements in Africa, and reggae music that denounced racism and
oppression. The groups inspired a renewed pride in African heritage.
Today, Bahia's carnival consists mostly of Trios Eltricos, but there are
still Blocos Afros and Afoxs. Every year, about half a million tourists are
attracted to Salvador. It's also possible to watch everything from the
Camarotes (ringside seats) spread out along the way, offering more
comfort to the visitors.

Circuit Barra-Ondina, the most

famous circuit of Brazil where
attractions sing above the trio eltrico
in the city of Salvador, Bahia

Pernambuco style
The North East state of Pernambuco has unique Carnivals in its present
capital Recife and in its colonial capital Olinda. Their main rhythms are
the frevo and the maracatu. Galo da Madrugada is the biggest carnival
parade in the world, considering the number of participants, according
The Guinness Book of World Records. It means "dawn's rooster" and
parades, as the name suggests, in the morning only. Frevo is
Pernambucan-style dance with African and acrobatic influences, as it is
fast and electrifying, often using an open umbrella and frequent legs and
arms movements.
Unlike Salvador and Rio, the festivities in Recife, Olinda and Itamaraca
do not include group competitions. Instead, groups dance and play
instruments side by side. Troas and maracatus, mostly of African
influence, begin one week before Carnival and end a week later. Some
well-known groups have funny names, such as: Tell me you love me,
damn eggymann (with a famous giant dancing doll that leads the group),
Crazy Lover, Olinda's Underpants, and The Door. Held 40 days
before Lent.

Carnival circuit of the city of

Salvador.

Street Carnival in Olinda,

Pernambuco.

So Paulo style
The carnival in So Paulo takes place in the Sambodrome of Anhembi on the Friday and Saturday night of the
week of Carnival, as opposed to Rio's Carnival, which is held on Sunday and Monday night.
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Various "samba schools" compete in a huge parade. Each school presents a different theme, which they expose
through their costumes, dance, music and the allegorical cars or carros
alegricos, huge vehicles decorated according to the theme designed
specifically for the parade).
The schools are responsible for choosing their own themes, which usually
revolve around historical happenings or some sort of cultural or political
movement.
The most famous (and usually the winners) samba schools are: Nen de
Vila Matilde, Gavies da Fiel, Vai-Vai, Camisa Verde e Branco,
Unidos do Peruche, Mocidade Alegre and Rosas de Ouro (which in
English translate to, respectively: Baby from Matilde Village;
Sparrowhawks of the Faithful; Go-Go; Green and White Shirt; Peruche
United; Happy Youth; and Golden Roses).

Carnival parade in So Paulo, Gavies

da Fiel Torcida Samba School.

Vai-Vai is the oldest school and has been the First Division champion most times (14 total, including the 2011
championship). It also is the most popular, for it has the most fans.

Minas Gerais style

Minas also holds some important carnival parades, mainly in the historic
cities of Ouro Preto, Mariana, So Joo del Rei and Diamantina. They are
held mostly by students' houses, which attract a majority of young people
from the neighbor states. There are also other major parades in the region,
such as the one in Pompu.
Carnival in Minas Gerais is often characterized by blocos carnavalescos
with varying themes and costume styles, almost always accompanied by a
brass and drums band. However, Minas Gerais carnival was first influenced
by the Rio de Janeiro Carnival (several cities have their own samba schools).
Later some Ax groups from Bahia came to play in the state every carnival
season.
The Carnival of the city of Ouro Preto is very popular with college students
in the area. The city has a large proportion of students, who during the year
live in places called Repblicas (a rented house maintained and ruled by
themselves). During carnival, the Repblicas are literally packed with
residents and many visitors coming from all over the country. The hills
prevent traffic of heavy sound trucks, but don't stop people from feasting all
night and day.[7]

Carnival parade of Ouro Preto,

Minas Gerais.

However, some view the Ouro Preto carnival festivities as a threat to the old and historical harmony of the region.
According to one such person: the recent emergence of industry from the surrounding localities, population growth
and a spike in street traffic have jeopardized Carnival as older citizens remember it. One cause for alarm is the
street carnival of Ouro Preto, which attracts thrill-seeking students from across Brazil. The students crowd the
streets while playing loud and arguably disruptive music.[8]

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Others
Some southern cities such as Curitiba, Florianpolis, Cambori, and Porto Alegre have smaller samba school
groups or blocos, but like So Paulo state towns, they seem to prefer balls to street dancing.

Sambdromo
The Carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro and So Paulo take place in the
Sambodromo, located close to the city center. In the city of Rio, the
parades start at 20:00 or 21:00 (depending on the date) and end around
5:00 in the morning. The Rio de Janeiro Metro (subway) operates 24
hours during the main parade days.
The actual amount of spectators in the Sambodromo may be higher than
the official number of seats mentioned below. Sector 9 is an exception.
Actually the word 'seat' is not relevant. In Sector 1 access is given to the
local community at a symbolic cost. Sectors 6 and 13 are the cheapest.
Sectors 3, 5 and 7 have equally good views (even though there is a price
difference between them). Sector 9 has marked seats and is therefore
less crowded. Dress Circle and Boxes are the best, and priced
accordingly.[9]

The Sambdromo of Rio.

Music
Samba

Anhembi Sambdromo in So Paulo.

Originated and developed in Rio de Janeiro between the end of the 19th
century and the first years of the 20th century is still one of the most popular styles
of Brazil. From intimate samba-cances (samba songs) sung in bars to explosive
drum parades performed during carnival, samba always evokes a warm and vibrant
mood. In the 1930s, a group of musicians led by Ismael Silva founded in the
neighbourhood of Estcio de S the first Samba School, Deixa Falar. They
transformed the musical genre to make it fit better the carnival parade. In this
decade, the radio spread the genre's popularity all around the country, and with the
support of the nationalist dictatorship of Getlio Vargas, samba became Brazil's
"official music."
In the following years, samba has developed in several directions, from the gentle
samba-cano to the drum orchestras which make the soundtrack of carnival
The singer and actress
parade. One of these new styles was bossa nova, a musical movement initially
Carmen Miranda led samba
spearheaded by young musicians and college students from Rio de Janeiro. It got
to the world in her films.
increasingly popular over time, with the works of Joo Gilberto and Antonio Carlos
Jobim. In the sixties, Brazil was politically divided, and the leftist musicians of bossa
nova started to draw attention to the music made in the favelas. Many popular artists were discovered at this time.
Names like Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho, Velha Guarda da Portela, Z Keti, and Clementina de Jesus recorded
their first albums. In the seventies, the samba got back to radio. Composers and singers like Martinho da Vila,
Clara Nunes and Beth Carvalho dominated the hit parade.
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In the beginning of the eighties, after having been sent to the underground due to styles like disco and Brazilian rock,
Samba reappeared in the media with a musical movement created in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It was the
pagode, a renewed samba, with new instruments, like the banjo and the tantan, and a new language, more popular,
filled with slang. The most popular names were Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Grupo Fundo de Quintal, Jorge
Arago, and Jovelina Prola Negra. Various samba schools have been founded throughout Brazil. A samba school
combines the dancing and party fun of a night club with the gathering place of a social club and the community
feeling of a volunteer group. During the spectacular Rio Carnival famous samba schools parade in the
Sambdromo.[10]

Frevo
Frevo is a wide range of musical styles originating from Recife and
Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil, all of which are traditionally associated with
Brazilian Carnival. The word frevo is said to come from frever, a
misspeaking of the Portuguese word ferver (to boil). It is said that the
sound of the frevo will make listeners and dancers to feel as they are
boiling on the ground. The word frevo is normally used interchangeably
either to mean the frevo music or the frevo dance.
The frevo music came first. By the end of the 19th century, bands from
the Brazilian Army regiments based in the city of Recife started a tradition
of parading during the Carnival. Since the Carnival is originally linked to
religion, they played religious procession marches and martial music, as
well. A couple of regiments had famous bands which attracted lots of
followers and it was just a matter of time to people start to compare one
to another and cheer for their favorite bands. The two most famous
bands were the Espanha (meaning Spain), whose conductor was of
Spanish origin, and the 14, from the 14th regiment. The bands started to
compete with each other and also started playing faster and faster, louder
and louder.

Frevo was included on the

UNESCO's list of intangible
heritage. [11]

Some tough men used to go ahead of the band, opening space to its parade by bullying people on the streets and
threatening them with capoeira (Afro-Brazilian martial art and dancing) and knives. Eventually, when the bands met
each other in the streets, fights between the capoeiristas were inevitable. These fights normally ended up with many
wounded and even dead.
In order to end with this violence wave, the Police started to pursue the capoeiras and arrested many during their
exhibitions. They reacted in a clever way by carrying umbrellas instead of knives and also disguising the capoeira
movements as dance movements.

Ax
Ax is not exactly about a style or musical movement, but rather about a useful brand name given to artists from
Salvador who made music upon northeastern Brazilian, Caribbean and African rhythms with a pop-rock twist,
which helped them take over the Brazilian hit parades since 1992. Ax is a ritual greeting used in Candombl and
Umbanda religions, and means "good vibration." The word music was attached to Ax, used as slang within the
local music biz, by a journalist who intended to create a derogatory term for the pretentious dance-driven style.
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As singer Daniela Mercury began her rise to stardom in Rio and So Paulo, anything coming from Salvador would
be labeled Ax Music. Soon, the artists became oblivious to the derogatory origins of the term and started taking
advantage of it. With the media pushing it forward, the soundtrack of Carnival in Salvador quickly spread over the
country (through off-season Carnival shindigs), strengthening its industrial potentials and producing year-round hits
along the 90s.
Tested within the height of Carnival heat, Ax songs have been commercially
successful in Brazil throughout the past decade. The year 1998 was
particularly fortunate for the artists from Bahia: together, Daniela Mercury,
Ivete Sangalo, Asa de Aguia, Chiclete com Banana, Araketu, Cheiro de
Amor and o Tchan sold over 3.4 million records.[12]

See also
Micareta, an off-season celebration similar to Carnival

References
1. ^ "Carnival" (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=carnival).
Online Etymology Dictionary.
The Brazilian ax singer Daniela
2. ^ "Carnival in Brazil" (http://www.topicsMercury.
mag.com/internatl/holidays/brazil/carnival-brazil.htm). Topics-mag.com. 7
October 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
3. ^ "Carnival of Rio" (http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/888444apos-recorde-de-publico-rio-limita-blocos-no-carnaval-2012.shtml).
4. ^ http://liesa.globo.com/
5. ^ http://liesa.globo.com/2014/por/03-carnaval14/resultado/2013_Mapa-De-Notas.jpg shows the categories and
judges' scores for 2013
6. ^ http://riocostumes.com/costumes-rio-2014/
7. ^ "Carnival of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais" (http://www.v-brazil.com/tourism/minas-gerais/ouro-preto.html). Vbrazil.com. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
8. ^ "Carnival in the city of Ouro Preto" (http://www.ouro-preto.info/ouro-preto-carnival.html). Ouro-preto.info
photo by Olinda City. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
9. ^ "Sambdromo Information" (http://www.bolerio.com/sambodromo.htm). Bolerio.com. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
10. ^ "Samba in Rio de Janeiro" (http://www.travel-amazing-southamerica.com/samba.html). Travel-amazingsouthamerica.com. 7 August 1942. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
11. ^ Brazilian frevo dance is inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (English)
(http://www.unesco.org/new/en/brasilia/about-this-office/singleview/news/brazilian_frevo_dance_is_inscribed_in_the_representative_list_of_the_intangible_cultural_heritage_of_h
umanity/)
12. ^ "Ax Music in Salvador" (http://www.allbrazilianmusic.com/generos/ver/axemusic). Allbrazilianmusic.com.
Retrieved 4 June 2011.

External links
(English) Top 10 Carnivals in the World (http://www.festivalpig.com/Carnivals-of-the-World-Top-10.html)
(English) Brazilian Carnival Glossary of Terms in English (http://www.brazilcarnival.com.br.html)
(English) Carnival Guide for Brazil and the Rest of South America
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(http://www.soundsandcolours.com/subjects/carnival/carnival-guide-2011-for-brazil-and-the-rest-of-southamerica/)
(English) Experienced information from the different carnivals in Brazil (http://www.festivalpig.com/carnavalbrasil-festival.html)
(English) Everything Is Possible: Street Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
(http://www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/everything-is-possible-street-carnival-in-rio-de-janeiro/)
{y quire aserle todo
(Portuguese) The History of Carnival in Brazil with video

(http://beholders.org/mind/artshistoryculture/186-the-history-of-carnival-in-brazil.html)
(Portuguese) Rio Carnival News O Globo (http://carnaval.globo.com/)
(Portuguese) Rio Carnival News Jornal do Brasil (http://jbonline.terra.com.br/especiais/carnaval2007/)
(Portuguese) Rio Carnival News O Dia (http://carnavalemsalvadorbahia.ning.com/)
(Portuguese) Rio Carnival News UOL (http://noticias.uol.com.br/carnaval/)
(Portuguese) Photos and Videos Terra (http://carnavalemsalvadorbahia.ning.com/)
(English) The Trio Eltricos of Bahian Carnival: Early history (http://www.guitarrabaiana.com/history/1950s-the-first-trio-eletrico.html)
(English) Carnival in Olinda: webcast explores the frevo and other attractions of this most charming carnival
destination (http://cas.podomatic.com/entry/2010-02-09T16_38_26-08_00)
(English) Carnival in Brazil (http://www.braziltravelinformation.com/brazil_carnival.htm) Guide to Carnival
that includes history, daily activities, and sambadrome and parade information
(English) TV report about the Rio Carnival BBC World News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8515518.stm)
(English) Samba City (http://www.joinrio.com/EN/rio-en/attractions/samba-city)
(English) Play yourself a samba school drums section
(http://carnaval.ig.com.br/rio/carnival+in+rio+play+yourself+a+samba+school+drums+section/n123813540
2474.html)
(English) Street View of Rio Carnival 2012
(http://www.topworldimages.com/streetview/Sambadrome_Marques_de_Sapucai)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brazilian_Carnival&oldid=602355742"
Categories: Brazilian Carnival Samba Arts in Brazil
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