carnival Archives - Page 3 of 5

Carnival Starts

04/02/2013/2 Comments/in Art and culture

Carnival, for me, has officially started! I know I’m a bit behind on this (pre-carnival blocos have been running for a few weeks now), but this weekend I made up for lost time by visiting two!

On Saturday I ventured over to the lovely Praia Vermelha, just next to the cable car that takes you to the top of Pão de Açúcar. It was a nice little bloco – nothing too crazy and the scenery was gorgeous.

Just back from the beach itself, there is a large open area – perfect for carnival parading.

On Sunday I decided to go a little further afield for a much larger bloco – Timoneiros da Viola in the the North Zone neighbourhood of Madureira. I went to the same pre-carnival bloco last year and it was great!

Apparently the organisers had made a slight miscalculation when hiring the carnival truck – it was too high for some of the cables that stretched across the route that the bloco was meant to take (do they really deserve to be called “organisers” if they make a mistake like that?). Anyway, that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits (the ‘dampening’ came later…)

C-Arnie-val Creep

30/01/2013/6 Comments/in Musings

Have I mentioned recently that carnival is just around the corner? As you may have noticed, I’m finding it hard to think of anything else right now.

Lots of Cariocas love carnival, but there are also quite a few who don’t like it. For both groups, this period between New Year and the carnival is just one long waiting game – either you’re waiting for the party to begin, or you’re waiting for it to finish so you can get on with your life. They say that the year doesn’t really start until after carnival – this can be a problem in the years when carnival starts in March.

Dancing, drinking, chatting to strangers and generally getting down. It just works better when the sun is out.

Dancing, drinking, chatting to strangers and generally having a good time.

Personally I love carnival! I may be in my mid-thirties now, but I still jump at the chance to forget about all the boring stuff and concentrate on having some serious fun for a few days/weeks. And I’m not the only gringo with a taste for Rio’s big party. They say that over 1 million people visit Rio for carnival each year. I read somewhere that they’re expecting closer to 2 million visitors this year.

Most of these carnival visitors are swept up in Rio’s carnival spirit and are very well behaved. But you know what it’s like – there are always a few bad apples aren’t there? Take this creepy guy for example (warning, some readers may find this difficult to watch…)

Carnival Songs: Allah-lá-ô

26/01/2013/7 Comments/in Art and culture

The first place I set foot in South America was Buenos Aires back in 2009. There are many, many reasons to love Argentina’s capital – the food, the vibrant culture, the beautiful architecture to name a few. You can almost feel history – it seems to seep from every bar and street corner you pass. One of the things I particularly enjoyed seeing there was a certain kind of South American gentleman.

As I wandered the streets I would occasionally pass an old guy dressed in 3 piece suit, walking stick and moustache, all of which seemed to hark back to a bygone era. My South American history was (and still is) very patchy, but these old men made me think of the 1930s-1950s. It was a real pleasure to see these guys and I was lucky enough to get chatting to a couple of them one night in a restaurant. They were friendly, interesting and delighted to hear that I had left everything behind to have an adventure. Speaking to them was like stepping back in time.

Well the performer of today’s carnival marchinha reminds me of those old South American gents. Funnily enough it turns out he was born in Buenos Aires, but soon moved to São Paulo and then Rio. Take a look at Carlos Galhardo:

Carlos Galhardo – the suit, the moustache and that pipe! A handsome fellow reminiscent of David Niven, everything speaks of a rather romantic bygone era. I wonder what he would make of today’s carnival.

So that is our singer. Now let’s get to today’s marchinha de carnaval – it’s a fun one!

Carnival Songs: Cachaça não é água

03/01/2013/22 Comments/in Art and culture

OK, so that’s Christmas and New Year out of the way – let’s turn our thoughts to Carnival shall we? This year it starts in early February but some years it doesn’t start until March – I’ve heard several Cariocas say that it doesn’t feel like the year has really started until after carnival. Personally I’m rather pleased to have a break from the festivities – 8-12 weeks is the perfect amount of time to recharge the batteries and forget all those ridiculous resolutions you made while you were wallowing in post-Christmas guilt.

When I think of carnival in Rio, I picture thousands of happy revelers at a bloco, dressed in crazy costumes, singing along to one of the many Marchinhas de Carnaval (traditional carnival songs). During my first carnival I found this a little frustrating – everyone knew the words but me! By my second carnival I had started to pick up the tunes and even bluff my way through some of the choruses. This year I plan to be singing along like a professional!

This is Cachaça, not to be confused with water…

So I thought I’d help out fellow carnival newbies with some suggested reading/singing. In the run-up to the big week, I’ll post a selection of my favourites carnival tunes. Learn these songs and you’ll feel like you’ve been carnivaling for years!

Today we’ll start with a cautionary tale which highlights the differences between water and Brazil’s favourite spirit – the song is called “Cachaça”.

This is water (cachaça is cheap, but not that cheap!).

Amigo da Onça!

17/11/2012/8 Comments/in Language

Onça is the Portuguese word for jaguar – surely one of South America’s most beautiful animals.

A jaguar (onça in Portuguese). Source

I learned this word during carnival earlier this year. The sun was shining (by 9am it was already ridiculously hot) and there was a great atmosphere among the revellers as they followed the musicians down a very steep, narrow hill in Catete.

Tag Archive for: carnival

Posts