We’ve been to Rio de Janeiro a number of times, but never to CARNIVAL. So what is Carnival and why is it so special? Hmmmnn! In the interest of time and to keep from boring you, I’ll try to give a short explanation.
The “Carnival of Brazil” is an annual 6 day festival held between the Friday afternoon 51 days before Easter and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent. Though FESTIVALS are held all over Brazil, Rio’s is the most well-known and it consists of a series of HUGE, organized parades which feature SAMBA SCHOOLS (aka dancing schools).
These “samba schools” are a BIG DEAL. Based in various neighborhoods, these schools range in size from 3,000 to 5,000 people and they practice, perform and compete in SAMBA (an African-Brazilian dance) exhibitions throughout the year. These performances culminate in the BIG EVENT… a final 2-day competition in February (right before Lent) with the top 12 schools performing for the #1 ranking. NOTE: In Rio, especially, these schools are mostly associated with particular shanty towns (FAVELAS) and they are deeply interwoven with the daily lives of favela residents.
So….before I delve further into our Carnival experience in February, let me share a few pictures of RIO…especially since the Summer Olympic Games are being held there in July. Most tourists will visit the following places while there:
Christ The Redeemer in the Distance–Taken from Sugarloaf
Mountain, A Favorite Tourist Destination
Olympic Stadium….Still Under Construction…
Is this Ipanema or Copacabana Beach?
A “FAVELA”…Up Close & Personal! Tours are offered for the Hearty!
“Christ The Redeemer”–Rio’s Iconic Landmark!
Sunbathing on the Beach–A Favorite Pasttime
Volleyball Anyone?
Okay, back to CARNIVAL.….
CARIOCAS, the Rio natives, are overtaken with emotion, involvement and festivity during Carnival. Even though the samba rehearsals, costume making and planning are year-round events, the atmosphere ramps up significantly during the 6 official days of Carnival. Rio becomes “PARTY CITY” on steroids and REVELERS are found everywhere….especially during the last 2 days!
Do you think these folks below are ready for PARTY TIME!
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!
PARTY, PARTY, PARTY!
So I mentioned that each Samba School has 3,000 to 5,000 people and you might wonder WHERE on earth could that many people perform? This is SUCH a popular, revenue-generating event that a special mile-long stadium called the “SAMBADROME”was created to host the spectacular parades created by each school. Designed to accommodate all social classes, with VIP lounges, tourist sections and a myriad of seating types, the SAMBADROME offers a venue which enables each school to “strut its stuff”.
Inside the SAMBADROME Waiting for the Festivities to Begin!
Still Waiting!
AND Here They Come!
Okay…so we have 12 schools performing….each for 3,000 to 5,000 people and each with its own parade lasting 60 to 90 minutes. If you’ve seen the “Macy’s Day Parade”or the “Rose Bowl Parade” and if you’ve thought that these were GRAND events, you “ain’t seen nothing yet”! Each Samba School has a parade which is like “THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH”, “Macy’s and Rose Bowl Parades on Steroids”, “The 8th WONDER OF THE WORLD”!
We sat there with our mouths open as the 1st school entered the Sambadrome. Not knowing what to expect, we stood in amazement watching the crowd participation….hearing the deafening noises…the drumming…the singing…the cheering…, mezmerized by the vast number of parade participants….each group having more colorful costumes than the last and dancing the SAMBA in unison…, amazed by the floats with their size and function exceeding anything we’ve seen before with SAMBA-DANCING people staged all over the floats. Oh, and I should also mention that there were LOTS of scantily clothed, beautifully toned bodies dancing their way through the stadium.
It’s hard to convey all that we experienced but here are a few pictures for you to enjoy:
FRONT
AND BACK!
FRONT
BACK
FRONT
FLOATS
MORE FLOATS
Samba Dancers Everywhere!
Did I Say There were LOTS of People in EACH School?
BODY BEAUTIFUL!!!
MORE, MORE Floats!
Color Everywhere!
Did I Say There Were Floats?
Oh, That’s ME, Balancing on David!!! SMILE!
Even a Float With “Christ The Redeemer”!
What Can I Say? Another Float!
Ok… So do you get my drift? I could go on and on with pictures as for each school, the parade lasted a minimum of 75 minutes. Believe it or not, on the 1st evening, 6 schools presented and 6 more presented the 2nd evening. The presentations started around 9 pm and lasted until 7:30 am the following day. Believe me…..This is a BIG, BIG DEAL and CARIOCAS (remember, they’re the Rio locals) relish this event. I must admit that I could not hang for all of the schools as at some point, I reached a point of diminishing returns…..smile. I guess my age is showing….smile again.
Needless to say, this was a SPECTACULAR event and we are ever so glad to have experienced it. If you’d like to see more, click on the link below for David’s CARNIVAL Video and tune in again next month for our “Highlights of Cuba” blog….