Carnival | Carnival in Rio de Janeiro |

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Carnival: world’s biggest party

CARNIVAL: WORLD’S BIGGEST
PARTYWe are the best source for Carnival in Rio de Janeiro!!

For those interested in getting the most out of their Carnival experience in Rio de Janeiro, The Brazil Vacation Club is the best source for information, bookings, special tickets to the show and a great time! We have special Hotel Carnival Packages, Carnival Tickets for the sambradrome in all class levels, the contacts and prices for those wishing to dress in an elaborate costume and parade with one of our city’s fabled Samba schools, and of course info on the free block parties that make Carnival with us truly memorable! Contact us today at reservations@brazilvacationclub.com or at our toll free number 1-877-757-7764 to get information or make your booking today!

BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND CARNIVAL IN
RIO DE JANEIRO:

Carnival is a special time of the year and it should be booked as soon as possible. In fact, one can even have significant discounts for bookings before 31 October. A typical Carnival Package consists of a 5 night minimum stay at the hotel of your choice as well as transfers IN and Out, a city tour, and of course tickets to an evening at the Sambadrome to see the parade live! Ticket prices at the Sambadrome depend on the sector where one sits. For those wanting to participate in the parade and dress in costume, the prices are usually significantly more and require the participants to be ready not only for a good time, but to dedicate themselves to dancing and acting in rhythm. The parade and event itself features different samba schools that compete for top prize and their
performance at the Sambradrome is taken very seriously! Participants should be ready for some intensity if they choose to participate directly with a school.choose to participate directly with school.

But, if they want to do this, The Brazil Vacation Club can put it together for you for a once in a lifetime experience!.Carnival in Rio is also about the Block parties, those pubic parties held in neighborhoods. They are traditional, free (except for consummation), and lost of fun. The Brazil Vacation Club always recommends that besides viewing the main event itself, for clients to take advantage of a block party and meet and have fund like a native! Contact us today at Reservations@brazilvacationclub.com or call us toll free at 1-877-757-7764 to get information for your special trip!

A HISTORY OF CARNIVAL:

COLONIAL RIO

The first records of Carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro date back to 1723. Immigrants from the Portuguese islands of Açores, Madeira and Cabo Verde introduced here the Entrudo. The idea was basically getting everybody soaked wet. People would go out in the streets with buckets of water and limes, and everybody could be a potential victim. Even Emperors took part in the fun.
There’s a curious record of a woman being arrested in 1855 for throwing a lime at Dom Pedro I’s escorts. Authorities frowned upon the lack of restraints of Entrudo fun, and eventually it was outlawed. Zé Pereira was a contribution of a Portuguese shoemaker named José Nogueira de Azevedo, in the mid XIX century. On Carnival Mondays he would march in the streets with his friends playing drums, tambourines, pans, and whistles. Everybody was welcome to join the fun. Grandes Sociedadesor Great Societies was a more organized parade that debuted in 1855, with the presence of the Emperor himself. A group of eighty aristocrats in masks paraded with luxury costumes, music, and flowers. It was a big success. Democráticos, Fenianos and Tenentes do Diabo were the three most well-known groups. Cordão Carnavalescois a concept that got its start in 1870. There were characters like queens, kings, witches, peasants and dancers, and they performed according to the costumes they were wearing. There were also the Cordões de Velhos, where participants would wear huge papier-mâché masks and walk in an old man’s gait.

CARNIVAL IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY

Ranchos Carnavalescos are a contribution of an immigrant from Bahia named Hilário Jovino da Silva. They started in 1872 as working class festivity.People would dress up in costumes and perform on the parade accompanied by an orchestra of strings, ganzás, flutes, and other instruments. They were more organized than the Cordões, and gained popularity around 1911. With the sponsorship of brewery Hanseática, the Ranchos started organized competitions. They became one of the main attractions of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, together with the Great Societies. The parade already included a first-wing (abre alas), an orchestra, a male and female choir, and a couple of mestre sala and porta bandeira. The parades were halted during World War II and started again in 1947. By then the competition happened on Av. Rio Branco. The last competition of ranchos was in 1990, and the winner was a club named Decididos de Quintino. Corso was a novely intruduced in 1907 with a parade of carintruduced in 1907 with parade of cars along Av.

Rio Branco (then named Av. Central). They were the granddaddys of today’s sophisticated floats. Revelers brought along streamers and paper confetti, plus lança-perfume, a spray of cologne water that would give you a sort of a buzz. In the 30’s this celebration became so popular that almost all car-owners in the city participated! The parade started on Sunday in Botafogo and went all the way to Av. Central.

RIO, BIRTHPLACE OF SAMBA

It all started in the end of the XIX Century in what was then known as Little Africa (Pequena Africa), the residence of the tias baianas. These were ladies who came from Bahia, and made a living selling food delicacies around town in their typical white dresses with big round skirts. They were also the priestesses of Candomble, and had a great influence in the community. Tia Ciata may have been the
most famous of these tias. Born Hilaria Batista de Almeida in the region of Bahia known as Reconcavo Baiano around 1854, she first lived near Campo de Santana. But the address that entered in history was Rua Visconde de Itaúna, 177. In her living room meetings were often entertained with live music played by talents like Pixinguinha and Donga (son of Tia Amelia). In the back lot of her house happened the samba, a term then used to denominate the ritual Candomble dance to drums and handclaps. Eventually the two beats got together, and Pelo Telefone, the first song labeled as a samba, was composed in her house. Another song that made samba history is Noel Rosa’s Com que Roupa?, that had a broader range of instruments that became staples in a samba song.

BLOCOS DE SUJOS, BLOCOS DE BAIANAS

The cordões evolved into blocos de sujos, where everyone could join in plain clothes, and blocos de baianas. The curious detail was that these baianas were actually men dressed in white colonial clothes, and acted as security to the blocos. There was a percussion band and vocalist, with a women-only chorus of pastoras. The peak of these blocos was in the 30’s and 40’s. Cacique de Ramos and Bafo da Onça are two of the most well-known. Today you can watch the blocos parade on Av. Rio Branco all Carnival days. The parades start at 2 p.m. from Carnival Saturday to Tuesday, and access is free. Contemporary versions of blocos such as the Monobloco and bandas like Banda de Ipanema operate a little differently. You will find more details at All About Street Carnival.

THE BIRTH OF THE SAMBA
SCHOOL

In the end of the 20’s some organizers of blocos felt the need to evolve, and found inspiration in the ranchos that were somewhat more organized. The term escola de samba (samba school) is credited to Ismael Silva, from Estácio. The samba gained more fluidity to be adapted to the evolution of the samba school. Mangueira, founded in 1928 is the first samba school. The nickname Estacao Primeira is because it is right at the first stop after train station Central do Brasil. In the 40’s and 50’s the samba schools consolidate their evolution cycle, with a theme, a theme song, costumes and floats. In 1959 Nelson de Andrade, then president of Salgueiro, invited artists Dirceu and Maria Louise Nery to design their parade featuring painter Debret as the theme. This initiative brought a whole new concept of design that would result in today’s carnavalescos. In the 60’s and 70’s the samba started to gain prestige with the middle class and upper middle class. Albino Pinheiro, the founder of Banda de Ipanema, helped this integration process with his famous pre-Carnival balls. The Samba Parade started to become more popular, and in 1971 for the first time there was a time limit set to the parade of each samba school. The songs gain a faster beat, and in 1972 the first album with the theme song of samba schools was released. Today’s Escolas de Samba are much more complex, and there are many wings and floats. Everything is described in detail at All About the Samba Parade. More tips about Carnival history at Carnival Balls, Banda de Ipanema, Meet the Sambodrome and Carnival Dates.

LET
THE BRAZIL VACATION CLUB HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF THE CARNIVAL EXPERIENCE!

THE SAMBA SCHOOL

The Samba School Parade at Rio´s Sambodrome
is something everybody has to experience at least once in life. The event is broadcast live to several countries, and all Brazilian states. Watching on TV is cool, but not half as much fun as being there. You have to mingle with the crowd, sweat, maybe even march with a samba school. Unlike Street Carnival the Samba Parade is not free. Tickets are actually quiteexpensive, but more than worth the investment. Fourteen special group schools march on Carnival Sunday and Monday, seven each night. The parade starts at 9 p.m. and goes on until sunlight the next day, around6-7 a.m. This samba marathon is more than a show - it’s also a fierce competition. Each year a school is downgraded from special to access group, and vice-versa.

WHAT IS A SAMBA SCHOOL?

In case you are getting completely mixed up: Samba Schools are not teaching institutions. A Samba School is basically an association of people from the same neighborhood, usually a working class community (or favela) in most cases located in a suburban area. They get together on a regular basis for samba nights and rehearsals (ensaios) at their samba court (quadra). Samba schools provide invaluable jobs to the community, that is employed year-round in the production of costumes and floats. Each year samba schools choose a different theme. In the year 2000, for instance, schools highlighted different periods of Brazilian history, celebrating the country’s 500th anniversary. In 2004, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sambodrome, samba schools were allowed to re-edit their favorite Carnival themes from the past. Samba Schools may take to the Parade anything from 3,000 to 5,000 members, and from 6 to 8 floats.

They try to illustrate the theme chosen. All costumes and floats are original, made from scratch every year. Think of it as a tropical opera, or rather, a collection of several operas happening on a single night. A Samba School has from 60 to 75 minutes to make it through the runway. This means that each member will actually spend in the Sambodrome only about 25-30 minutes tops. The experience is so intense, though, that the memories last a lifetime.

BE THE JUDGE

Several aspects are judged by a jury of experts chosen by LIESA, the league of Samba Schools. Judges are strategically stationed in odd and even sectors, to make sure the schools do their best all the way through. The 6 schools that score best earn the coveted honor of marching again the following weekend, at the Winners Parade on Saturday. Of course all Cariocas consider themselves experts when it comes to judging a samba school. Many keep a personal score to compare (and inevitably disagree) with the final result. Cariocas support their favorite school just like they support their soccer team - with a lot of passion. In Portuguese you do not say you support Mangueira or Flamengo. You say what would translate simply to I am Mangueira or I am Flamengo.

SAMBA SCHOOL BY PARTS

Schools are divided into alas (wings or sections), with people wearing the same costumes. Abre-alas is the first group, limited to 15 people or less. They are in charge of greeting the audience, setting the mood, and introducing the theme. Choreographies are often quite elaborate, and may be performed by professional dancers. Floats (carros alegóricos) are decorated structures that carry special guests in luxury costumes, named destaques (see floatees). Many have special effects - a bird with flapping wings, a dragon spitting smoke, etc. The proportions are limited by the narrow tree-lined streets that give access to the Sambodrome. Oversized floats are at the risk of losing part of their decoration even before entering the runway, or could get stuck along the way. Floats may be motorized, and have mechanical parts. Yet most are still pushed by men from the community, either in T-shirts, or wearing costumes designed to blend in. Before ideas of exploitation of cheap labor and other indignities start to pop in your mind, try to understand that everybody is more than happy to contribute in whichever way they can. Being a part of the samba parade is an honor, and these volunteers would probably look awkward in a baiana
costume, anyway. Even though complete nudity is not officially allowed, sometimes floats carry topless or almost-naked beauties, male and female. You get the idea: a little body paint, lots-a-glitter, a smile… The best looking men and women are selected for these special spots.The right stunt is a guaranteed headline the following day, and some do not draw a line for a chance of few seconds in the spotlight (see funny but true stories). Each float carries on top a cherry, someone in in an impossibly heavy and incredibly luxurious costume.

There are cranes in the concentration area to get these people to their elevated positions. Imagine trying to climb a ladder with an extra 100 pounds on your back! Some alas are mandatory, and play a very important role in overall performance of the school. Velha Guarda is the group of men in the typical white suit and Panama hat, representing the malandro, a traditional Carioca character. They may be the last ala to march, usually accompanied by their female counterparts.

Ala das baianas is a wing with women dressed in big round colonial-style skirts. These positions are reserved for ladies from the community, and their (very expensive) costumes are subsidized. Dozens of baianas spinning around always bring down the house.

Porta-Bandeira and Mestre-Sala are the leading couple in the school. Porta-bandeira is the lady that carries the school banner with pride and poise. Crowds stand and cheer as she passes by. Her partner, the mestre-sala, has the job of drawing everybody’s attention to his queen. And they do that by performing the most elaborate samba steps and courtesies ever - seeing to believing. Samba Schools also have a children-only sector. They have their own version of the porta-bandeira and mestre-sala, and their dexterity often equals or surpasses the adults.

The bateria (percussion band) sets the beat. They are preceded by a queen ( or rainha da bateria), that can be either a beauty from the community or some TV star or VIP, plus a number of princesses (girls fight fiercely for the position). The vocalist is know as puxador, and may go on a sound truck right behind the bateria, or march along the samba runway. Atravessar is a term used when the bateria and puxador go out of synch - and when it happens the school inevitably loses points. School members must also sing along the whole time, or they will lose points in harmony. Evolution and Group are two other aspects judged, the school must flow smoothly and without any blank spaces. Let The Brazil Vacation Club help you get the most out of the Carnival experience!

Call
us NOW at 1-877-757-7764 to get more information on reserving your place
to the world’s hottest event!

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