O Carnival is a popular festival that takes place every year on a mobile date and is known as the main festivity in Brazil. Carnival emerged in Europe, prior to Lent, and spread to different parts of the world. This party was brought here by the Portuguese during the colonization period.
Historians claim that Carnival began to be celebrated in the Middle Ages, but it is related to some festivities of ancient peoples. In Brazil, one of the great brands of Carnival are the street blocks, which take place across the country, and the samba school parades, very present in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Accessalso: Easter - Christian party held days after Carnival
When did Carnival appear?
Historians claim that Carnival emerged in the Middle Ages and it was understood as a moment of freedom that preceded all the privations imposed during Lent. Despite this, many of these experts point out that he inherited a series of characteristics from the festivals of ancient peoples, such as the mesopotamians, you romans and even peoples of Germanic origin.
Some of these parties valued the inversion of the order of things, thus, people dressed up as different characters, such as priests. The king served the people, and subjects put themselves in the role of king, in addition to feasting on food and drink, such as alcoholic beverages. Thus, the deprivations of a life ceased to exist in Carnival.
Many of these festivals could take place at different times of the year, but with the rise of Christianity, Church members sought to fit them all into one time of year. Thus, Carnival emerged as a Church effort to control and concentrate the population's festive impulses at a time of year.
In the Middle Ages, festivities could extend from Christmas to the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period consisting of fasting and prayer. Therefore, Carnival was the time when people released all their desires for parties, food and drinks, before starting the period of deprivation imposed by the Catholic Church.
During the medieval Carnival, it was common to carry out theatrical performances on the street, parades with floats, masked parties. The games also happened, and many were acts of public mockery, in which a person was publicly humiliated before his community.
Carnival in Brazil
Currently, Carnival is the most popular festival in Brazil and is celebrated on a mobile date, which is influenced by the date that determines Easter. Carnival Tuesday is celebrated exactly 47 days before of Easter Sunday. The next dates for Carnival Tuesday in Brazil will be:
2020: February 25th
2021: February 16th
2022: March 1st
To understand the dimension of Carnival in our country, we can use the example of some cities. At the Rio de Janeiro, in 2019, Carnival took around 7 million people to the streets and mobilized revenue of 3.7 billion reais|1|. Already in They arePaul, the number of people on the streets was around 5 million in the same year|2|.
Carnival was consolidated as the main popular festival in Brazil in the 1930s, during the government of Getúlio Vargas. The main Carnival parties in Brazil take place in the cities of Sao Paulo, RiverinJanuary, savior and Recife. Street blocks and samba school parades are its main means of achievement.
Know more:Cultural Aspects in the Vargas Era
Carnival in the Southeast
O samba it consolidated itself as one of the great rhythms of Carnival (and of Brazilian music) during the 1930s, and, in the Carnival of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, it is a fundamental element. You samba school parades are important cultural aspects of the two cities and are known throughout the world.
In the case of Rio de Janeiro, the samba school parades take place in the Sambadrome, built in 1984. The fashion shows, both in São Paulo and in Rio, are part of a competition that has numerous evaluation items. The last three champion samba schools, in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, were:
Year |
Rio de Janeiro |
Sao Paulo |
2017 |
Portela and Independent Youth* |
Tatuapé Academics |
2018 |
Hummingbird |
Tatuapé Academics |
2019 |
hose |
Green Spot |
* A problem in counting the grades led to the declaration of the two schools as champions.
The parade of samba schools is characterized by gigantic floats, unprecedented samba plots and an impressive production of masks and costumes. You samba plots usually emphasize, for example, values of African and indigenous culture, and they can also do political criticism, as was the case of Paraíso da Tuiuti school, in 2018.
Read more:African influence on Brazilian culture
Carnival in the Northeast
The carnival celebrations in the Northeast, especially those in Recife and Salvador, are very popular in the country. In savior, millions of people take to the streets to celebrate Carnival, mainly due to the sound of axe. Street blocks are made up of electric trios, accompanied by thousands of people.
In Recife, in turn, the sound that governs Carnival is the frevo. The capital of Pernambuco is also known for hosting the largest Carnival block in the world: the morning rooster, which spans over nine hours of partying. In 2019, Galo da Madrugada attracted more than two million people.
History of Carnival in Brazil
Carnival arrived in Brazil, among the 16th and 17th centuries, by the Portuguese. One of the main practices of the Portuguese Carnival reproduced in Brazil was a game known as Shrovetide. Shrovetide was banned due to its aggressive character in the 19th century, but was carried out until the 20th century.
Shrovetide was a popular game in which people, especially the most humble, took to the streets to dirty each other. For this, several items were used to wet or dirty someone: scented water, dirty water, mud, etc. Shrovetide could also be performed by another type of joke.
There was a distinction in this game between the people and the elite, as the popular mass performed it on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, and members of the local elite, within their families. Government actions against this practice contributed to its disappearance in the 20th century. Over time, several other elements were added to the Brazilian Carnival, causing each region of the country has a peculiarity in this celebration.
Grades
|1| Carnival in Rio comes to an end with 7 million revelers in the streets and revenue of R$3.7 billion, says city hall. To access, click on here.
|2| Street Carnival: parties in Rio and São Paulo attract hundreds of blocks and millions of people; see numbers. To access, click on here.
Image credits
[1]Karla Vidal and Shutterstock
