Everyday in december, we are going to be talking and posting about a celebration celebration around the world. Come with us as we start wih Rio carnival in Brazil.
Rio Carnival, Brazil.
The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese: Carnaval) is a festival held before Lent every year and considered the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets. The first festivals of Rio date back to 1723.
The typical Rio carnival parade is filled with revelers, floats, and adornments from numerous samba schools which are located in Rio. A samba school is composed of a collaboration of local neighbours that want to attend carnival together, with some kind of regional, geographical common background.
There is a special order that every school has to follow with their parade entries. Each school begins with the “comissão de frente” (“Front Commission” in English), that is the group of people from the school that appear first.
Made of ten to fifteen people, the “comissão de frente” introduces the school and sets the mood and style of their presentation. These people have choreographed dances in fancy costumes that usually tell a short story. Following the “comissão de frente” is the first float of the samba school, called “abre-alas” ( “Opening Wing” in English ).
These are followed by the Mestre-sala and Porta-Bandeira (Room Master and Flag Carrier), with one to 4 pairs, one active and 3 reserve, to lead the dancers, which include the old guard veterans and the “ala das baianas”, with the bateria at the rear and sometimes a brass section and guitars.
Events
- SAMBA PARADES
- CARNIVAL BALLS
- SCALA BALLS
- SAMBA LAND
- MERRY MAKING IN LAPA
- STREET PARTIES
- STREET BANDS
- SAMBA SCHOOL NIGHTS
- SAMBODROMO REHEARSALS
- COMMUNITY REHEARSALS
Coming to Rio Carnival means a bit of preparation. You should not only book ahead your flight and accommodation but buy your Rio Carnival tickets in advance, too. Study the Rio Carnival 2017 event calendar and pick the ones you intend to attend.
