The Carnival has its origin in antiquity with feasts to the gods where a change in the social order was allowed.
In this way, the slaves and serfs took the places of the masters and the population took the opportunity to have fun.
Although it is known as the country of Carnival, Brazil is not the only one to celebrate it intensely.
Cities like Venice (Italy), Nice (France), New Orleans (USA), Canary Islands (Spain), Oruro (Bolivia) and Barranquilla (Colombia) also celebrate the festival in a very lively way.
Origin of Carnival:how the party came about
The origin of Carnival lies in the celebrations of the gods of antiquity.
In Babylonia, the Saceias commemoration was held, where a prisoner was allowed to assume the identity of the king for a few days, being killed at the end of the commemoration. There was also a celebration, in the temple of the god Marduk, when the king was beaten and humiliated, confirming his inferiority before the divine figure.
In Ancient Greece, there were parties to celebrate the arrival of spring where the entire population, regardless of birth, was allowed to participate in the event. A similar celebration took place in the Roman Empire, in Saturnalia, when people wore masks and spent days playing, eating and drinking.
The Evolution of Carnival
With the rise of Christianity, pagan festivals took on new meanings. Thus, Carnival became the opportunity for the faithful to say goodbye to eating meat. In fact, the word carnival comes from the Latin carnis levale which means “to remove the flesh”.
For the Catholic Church, Carnival precedes Lent, the forty-day period before Easter, which remembers the moment when Jesus was in the desert and was tempted by the devil.
From the beginning of its celebration, at Carnival, people could hide or change their identity.
Thus, they had greater freedom to have fun, at the same time they could acquire characteristics or functions different from what they really were:poor could be rich, men could be women, among others.
In Venice, nobles wore masks to be able to enjoy the festivities with the people and keep their identity hidden. This is the origin of the use of the mask, which is a hallmark of this celebration.
Origin of Carnival in Brazil
In Brazil, Carnival came about with the Shrovetide brought by the Portuguese. This one consisted of a game where people threw water, flour, eggs and paint at each other.
For their part, the enslaved Africans had fun these days to the sound of drums and rhythms brought from Africa and that would merge with Portuguese musical genres. This mixture would be the origin of the carnival march and samba, among many other musical rhythms.
At the beginning of the 20th century, with the aim of civilizing the festival, the practice of throwing flour and water was prohibited. Therefore, people began to import from the carnivals of Paris and Nice the custom of throwing confetti, streamers and bouquets of flowers.
With the popularization of automobiles, the wealthiest families in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador or Recife, went out with their cars and threw confetti and streamers at passersby.
This tradition continued until the 1930s, when the manufacture of convertible cars ended and the vehicles that allowed the popular classes to enter the party became cheaper.
The street carnival was animated by marchinhas, a musical genre similar to military marches, but faster and with double meaning lyrics. In this way, they criticize society, the political class and the situation of the country in general.
The first Carnival march is considered to be "Ò Abre Alas ", written in 1899 by the carioca composer Chiquinha Gonzaga.
The "ranchos", the "carnival societies" and the "cordões", groups of revelers who went out through the streets of the city playing the marchinhas and making everyone dance.
With the popularization of radio, marchinhas fell into popular taste. Several singers have recorded these compositions, but it is worth mentioning the names of Carmem Miranda and Francisco Alves as the greatest interpreters of the genre.
In the 60s, the marchinha gave way to the samba-enredo of the samba schools.
Samba Schools
The first association that emerged in Rio de Janeiro was called "Deixa Falar", today "Estácio de Sá", in 1928. The origin of the name "school" is due to the fact that the founders of "Deixa Falar" were in a bar opposite to a school.
Nowadays, they receive the official name of "Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba", as they are committed to spreading the culture in the community where they are inserted.
Street Carnival in Rio de Janeiro suffered a blow with the construction of the "Sambódromo", which confined the parades to this space. The party was broadcast on TV and tickets became more and more expensive.
Street Carnival survived in the suburbs with groups like "Cacique de Ramos", in the center of the city, through groups like "Cordão do Bola Preta" and "Carmelitas". In Rio's South Zone, there was the "Banda de Ipanema" and even the "Imprensa que eu Gamo", formed by communication professionals.
It seemed that the most popular party in Rio would be aimed at tourists, but an amateur theater group, Boitatá, has re-emerged with the custom of dragging revelers down the street. Currently, almost 500 blocks parade through the streets of Rio.
Carnival in Northeast Brazil
As a country of continental dimensions, each region of Brazil celebrates Carnival in a different way.
Two northeastern capitals, Salvador and Recife, stand out for the beauty of their festivities, cultural and musical diversity.
Carnival of Salvador
In Salvador, the electric trios make the revelers happy. Its origin is linked to the battles of flowers and the Corsicans.
The first electric trio was invented by musicians Dodô and Osmar, in 1950, when they used electric amplification for their musical instruments. From there, the other cars did the same.
If in Rio de Janeiro the marchinhas set the tone for the party, in Bahia samba, batucada, axé, timbalada and large percussion groups such as "Filhos de Gandhi" are the hallmarks of the Bahian party.
Carnival in Recife and Olinda
The carnival party in the capital of Pernambuco and the city of Olinda is animated by frevo. Likewise, people from Recife use giant dolls in their parades.
These dolls came from Europe, because in countries like Spain, huge figures of kings, queen and the court are made that walk around the city on certain religious festivals.
Each year, the associations launch new faces such as football players, actors, deceased personalities, comic book heroes, etc.
Likewise, the puppets are used to make social criticism and it is common to see politicians portrayed by these artists.
Fun facts about Carnival
- The corso parade is still a tradition maintained in the Carnival of Teresina, in Piauí.
- In the 1980s, cities like São Paulo and Porto Alegre also built "sambadromes" for their samba schools' parades.
What know more? Read :
- Southeast Culture
- June Parties