BRAZILIAN CARNIVAL GUIDE 2007
(18-21 February) RIO DE JANEIRO AND SALVADOR DA BAHIA FESTIVALS
Image: Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Embratur
Carnival is the most popular Brazilian festivity, far beyond Christmas, Easter or New Year celebrations. Only the Rio de Janeiro New Year’s Eve rivals with Carnival. Iemanja, the African goddess specially venerated by Cariocas at the New Year’s Eve, is a great pretext to a big rehearsal of
the Carnival balls and parades.
The Brazilian Carnival is astonishing and unique in its expression of human aspirations, hidden or dormant desires, joy, colours, or music. For many Brazilians, Carnival is a reason of life – and the Carnival days are just the top of a much bigger iceberg. In Rio de Janeiro or Salvador da Bahia, the Carnival balls, the rehearsals, the processions, begin long before the four official days of parades. The carnival schools have a permanent activity, all year round, congregating millions of participants - literally.
There are, anyway, dozens of other festivities in Brazil. Brazil is a country of festivities, mainly in Salvador da Bahia, a special place, where ancient African traditions, mixed with European culture, reveal a surprising and exotic strength.
MAIN BRAZILIAN CARNIVALS
Rio
The main parade of Carnival in Rio is at the Sambodrome, a massive concrete stadium-like structure, built along Avenida Marques de Sapucai. The parade involves more then 50.000 figurants, and a selected number of top samba schools. Most of the schools, representing many districts and social clubs and interests, aren’t present in the main Samba School Parade.
Carnival in Rio is centred in samba schools and themes selected for each year. The themes may be very diverse: they can be a myth, a historical or present event, a political or artistic personality, and must embrace every detail of the year’s school presentation. The lyrics, the music itself, the costumes of the figurants, the papier-mâché figures and paintings of the allegoric car, all must accord with the selected theme.
For more details about the Carnival in Rio:
Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
CARNIVAL IN SALVADOR DA BAHIA
The Bahian Carnival is as fervent on its expression and tradition as the Rio’s, though rather different. Essentially, the Carnival in Bahia (more
precisely in Salvador da Bahia, the capital of the state of
Bahia) is a musical and folkloric expression, centred in Trio Electricos – musical cars, carrying musicians and top singers. It’s the Trio Electrico that scatters the music and puts everyone in carnival trance.
There are dozens of Trio Electricos, each one acting in a different street circuit
of Salvador, performing different musical themes, allowing people to choose the preferred music and performers.
The sounds of the Carnival of Salvador aren’t limited to samba, as it is the
case of Rio. Salvador da Bahia Carnival is more a representation of the musical
moment of Brazil, and as a rule many of the top brazilian singers are present in
it.
For more details about Salvador's Carnival:
Brazilian Carnival in Bahia and Recife
Brazilian Carnival calendar up to 2010
2007 – February 18 – 21
2008 – February 03 - 06
2009 – February 22 - 25
2010 – February 14 - 17
For more information, see:
New Year’s Eve and other Festivities in Rio and Brazil
Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian Carnival in Bahia and Recife
Carnival out of season…
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