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Carnival in Brazil is of such importance that the very word “Carnival” is
almost immediately associated with Brazil, mainly with
the Carnival in
Rio de Janeiro.
Indeed, Cariocas
(natives of Rio de Janeiro city) put on what they like to call the
“biggest show in the world”. It is an amazing spectacle, full of color,
fun and samba.
However, there are many other ways of celebrating Carnival in Brazil
depending on the region. We are going to talk about the largest festivals
here. The most famous, besides Rio de Janeiro's, are the carnivals of
Salvador, in the state of Bahia, and of
Recife
and
Olinda, in the state of
Pernambuco. Săo Paulo also has a big parade, in
the same style as Rio's.
A Little History about Brazil's Carnival
Carnival was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. It was called
“Entrudo”, meaning “entrance”, to Lent (the 40-day period before
Easter). The Entrudo consisted of battles of water with lemon
juice, flour and mud.
When the Portuguese royal family moved to Rio de Janeiro, they brought a
more sophisticated way of celebrating the Carnival with fancy balls, with
elaborate costumes and masks, the way the French and Italian used to
celebrate. And guess what type of music they used to play at these balls?
Opera!
It was
a party for the rich. The poor couldn’t afford the expensive costumes and
masks, so the Entrudo survived among the poorer classes. Eventually,
popular balls were created for the people.
The poor people also started to organize their
own parades and in the beginning of the 20th century the Entrudo died off and
yielded to the way the Carnival is celebrated today in cities like Rio de
Janeiro and Săo Paulo, among others.
In 1929, the first
(1)
samba club called “Deixa Falar” (Let Us Speak) was
born and so was Brazil's Carnival.
100%
Guaranteed Fun
Wherever you plan to spend Carnival in Brazil, rest assured that you will
have a great time. However, it does
require energy and
enthusiasm. During the Carnival, Brazil travel is all about having a lot
of fun. Are you ready? Let's go then.
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Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
Carnival in Salvador
Carnival in
Recife and Olinda
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(1) Samba
clubs are called Escolas de Samba, "Schools of Samba", by Brazilians.
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