Carnival History: A Trip Back to Time

Explore Carnival Hisotry and the Magic Behind the Tradition.

In order to understand the Carnival history in Rio de Janeiro, you have to go back in time when the Greeks often held festivities in homage to Dionysus, the god of wine. The Romans then adopted this tradition by drinking all day and masters swapped clothes with soldiers in reverence to their gods Bacchus and Saturnalia.
With the rise of Catholicism, this custom was elevated to more benign celebration held days before the Catholic Lent. The Carnival is supposedly inspired from the Portuguese celebration ‘Entrudo.’ According to Carnival history, the first records of the Rio Carnival ball was held prior to the 19th century, or the year 1840 to be exact, as participants performed the waltz and polka. Interestingly enough, the samba—the most popular dance performed today—wasn’t introduced until 1917.

The Samba in Carnival History

The African slaves are the ones who actually introduced samba to Brazil in early 1900s. In West Africa or Angola, Africans perform the samba as a form of celebration in joyous times and refuge during harsh conditions.
After slavery was finally abolished in Brazil, a large portion of these Africans set up settlements farther south of the country, particularly in Cidade Nova and Prace Onze. Over time, these places became the epicenter of samba culture. The popularity of the samba quickly spread throughout the country.
Artists, composers and dancers often congregated to display their skills or their own versions of the samba. They formed groups which evolved into formal clubs, then these clubs bonded together to form associations and later these developed into schools.
The first samba school was said to be “Deixa Falar” which was formed in 1928. The competition started from being fun to being serious business. When you take the whole Carnival history into context, it’s amazing how samba became the country’s official dance that quickly since it took only 15 years from the time the Africans introduced samba to the formation of schools. These schools initiated their first public exhibition to a resounding success in 1932.
Rio de Janeiro was the birthplace of the Association of Schools of Samba City, which mounts the modern samba parades during the annual Carnival. The samba schools of today are very elaborate and run like corporations.
They have their own buildings, gymnasiums or clubs which allow them to practice their performances in secret. These schools also are very active in the community through various social services.

The Sambadrome: Earning a Chapter in Carnival History

Until about three decades ago, the Marquês de Sapucaí Avenue, one of the historic streets of Rio de Janeiro, was the place for the Carnival parade. But the number of spectators and visitors grew so organizers felt it was time to construct structures on both sides of the alley for the tourists.
This gives rise to construction of the Sambodromo, which was sketched by Oscar Niemeyer, and hosted the parade for the first time in 1984. Since then, the Sambadrome has played host to the top samba schools where they showcase their costumes, dances, bands, and floats for over an hour and a half.
These performances culminate during the Carnival Sunday and Carnival Monday where the twelve samba schools kick it up a notch for the title.
The Sambodromo today is also known as the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí and has earned its place in the Carnival history. Nearly a million tourists each year cluster in Rio not just to watch the spectacle but also to experience that unique Afro-European culture in Brazil.
The event at the Sambadrome has become very popular that major TV channels around the globe send their own crew to tape the Carnival for the worldwide audience.
There is a price of admission, however, since each spot to the Sambadrome is highly sought. But you can always watch for free the many performances or the rehearsals of the top schools prior to the culminating parade.

Source: http://www.riocarnaval.org/es/carnaval-de-rio/historia.html
Uploaded by: Micaela Guerra, Fabiana Beltrán y Fabiana Silva.


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