OVERVIEW: The Carnival in Rio De Janeiro is one of the best-known parties in the world and is considered the largest carnival in the world. Rio Carnival is a five day celebration and a national holiday.
Overview
The Carnival in Rio De Janeiro is one of the best-known parties in the world, it is also considered the largest carnival in the world. Rio Carnival is a five day celebration and a national holiday in Brazil. The official length of the holiday is five days – beginning Friday night and ending the Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter. However, many Brazilians turn this celebration into a 10-day endeavor filled with parades, dancing, drinking, and people having fun. The carnival usually occurs in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere, when summer in Rio is at its peak. Each year, the carnival brings about a half a million tourists to Brazil to join in the festivities. While this carnival provides entertainment for the people traveling from all over the world, it also provides a stage for people to experience the true culture of Brazil. Rio Carnival is very important to Brazilians because it sums up their way of thinking and encompasses their way of life. Rio Carnival is an overdose of fun where people sing, dance, and drink at parties and celebrations held throughout the day and night. Carnival in Brazil is a revered tradition resulting from many months of preparation and anticipation from the people of Brazil.
A Short History of Rio Carnival
While carnival today is predominately a Catholic tradition, its history can be traced back to pagan celebrations of pre-Christian times. The roots of carnival can be traced back to an era prior to the discovery of the New World, where Greeks and Romans annually celebrated the coming of Spring. In order to maintain some control over the people during these festivals and parties, the church adopted them as their own and sanctioned them (Rio Carnival History). Over time, the Catholic church reshaped carnival into a festival leading up to Ash Wednesday. With the reshaping of carnival into a Catholic tradition, we start to see carnival festival spread all over the world. Like any other historic event, Rio Carnival has evolved and adapted over time from the origins in the 18th century to the present.
Portuguese colonialism brought with it many religious and cultural values from Europe to Brazil – carnival being one of them (The Cultural Origins of Carnival). Regarding the origins of Rio Carnival, 1723 marks the first year that carnival existed in Brazil (Rio Carnival History). Back then, the festival represented a time where class roles and status were flipped allowing for the poor and rich to reverse their roles in society (Rio Carnival History). In the 18th century, Rio Carnival displayed a sense of equality and unity among the people, which was a rare occurrence at this time. In 1786, the exuberance of the Royal wedding of King Dom Joao IV and Carlota Joaquina of Spain coincided with Rio Carnival setting the stage for the wildest and most debaucherous festival to date (Rio Carnival History). While the Portuguese are responsible for bringing carnival to Brazil, the 19th century brought with it further evolution.
During the 19th century, different groups started to add to the celebrations in Rio. With French immigrants starting to make their way to Brazil in the mid-19th century, the French left their imprint on Rio Carnival through the introduction of elaborate balls and masquerade parties, which are still present today (Rio Carnival History). However, the balls back then required a hefty price for entrance, therefore, excluding the lower class from participating. Whereas, today, the Rio Carnival Ball is for anyone and everyone to attend (Rio Carnival History). Along with French additions to Rio Carnival, various other groups (aristocrats, working-class, lower class, etc.) added to the carnival as well through the addition of parades prepared by these groups (Hearst). For example, the “Grandes Sociedades” parade held by the aristocrats, the “Ranchos Carnavalescos” parade held by the working-class, and the “Cordões” parade held by the lower class are all additions found in the 19th century. Moreover, 1870was another big year in Rio Carnival history with the introduction of a concept called Cordão Carnavalesco, which refers to the characters people would dress up as
that included kings, queens, witches, and dancers. For the first time, people would parade according to a specific role, which coincided with the costumes they were wearing (Rio Carnival History).Additionally, 1872 brought a new phase of Rio Carnival that involved parades of costumed carnival participants accompanied by musical instruments as they made their way down parade routes (Rio carnival History). The tradition of Corso, developed in 1907, was the first time when motorized vehicles were incorporated into Rio Carnival (Rio Carnival History). Toward the end of the 19th century and into the early years of the 20th century, Samba music became a staple in Rio Carnival, and, perhaps the most important addition to Rio Carnival.
The Emergence of Samba Music
When the Portuguese came to Brazil, they brought with them more than just religion and carnival. Until the late 19th century, the Portuguese participated heavily in the African slave trade. Despite its cruel nature, it resulted in the permeation and mixture of cultural values between social and religious divides. The Africans brought musical and religious traditions that would soon be intertwined with Rio Carnival traditions (The Cultural Origins of Carnival). At this time, many slaves were affiliated with a religion originated in Bahia, known as Candomblé, and, Samba music was popular with its followers (The Cultural Origins of Carnival). Therefore, as the population of Africans grew in Brazil and as the popularity of Candomblé spread throughout this population, so did the popularity of Samba music within the African community present in Brazil. The word samba comes from the Angolan world semba referring to a type of ritual music, however, to the African population this word had multiple religious meanings mostly revolving around hardship (Rio Carnival). Notably, Brazil was home to roughly 35% of the world’s slave population, and, in keeping with tradition, the enslaved African population was welcome to participate in Rio Carnival festivities (Rio Carnival History). Consequently, the African population took full advantage of this short lived freedom becoming, arguably, the most active participants in the parade. Additionally, considering that 35% of the enslaved African population was found in Brazil, there were a substantial amount of Africans participating in Rio Carnival every year.
The abolition of slavery in Brazil allowed for greater mobility within the population and interaction between social classes became a reality. Initially, the religious and cultural values held by Catholic Brazilians and the values held by Candomblé Africans were complicated. As a result, the Africans excluded from the grand celebrations of the Catholic ruling class celebrated on their own creating colorful costumes with African flair (The Cultural Origins of Carnival). However, rather than maintaining separate celebrations, over time the Catholic and African influences began to fuse together. The birth of samba music in the city played a crucial role in the formation of what are considered contemporary Carnival celebrations in Rio (Carnival in Rio De Janeiro: A Short History). Over time, samba music developed in the city of Rio as a blending together of traditional African music with Brazilian dances and songs (like the polka, xote, maxixe, and the lundu), to create its own unique genre (Rio Carnival History). Samba music is the fire that energizes and keeps Carnival going with liveliness and enthusiasm.
Samba Schools
See also from Spring 2017
Prior to the emergence of Samba Schools, Africans who danced and sang on street corners were frequently attacked by police (Raphael 74). When the Samba Schools emerged in Brazil, it was during an era where racism against Afro-Brazilians was a prevalent part of society. Samba schools became a chief social mobilizer within the Afro-Brazilian community (Raphael 74). In addition to the discrimination by police, members of the poor African community were largely left out of the Carnival celebration. Instead, the carnival was dominated by organized groups such as “Grandes Sociedades” and “Ranchos Carnavalescos”, while the lower class “Cordões” groups gradually became blocos, or carnival street bands (Carnival in Rio De Janeiro: A Short History). These groups would parade around the streets in makeshift costumes while playing improvised Samba music. The African community in Brazil spontaneously came together forming blocos with little or no organization or fixed membership, rather, they were groups of neighborhood friends that came together during carnival time to play Samba music (Raphael 76). However, over time, many of these street bands sought organization. The first Samba School,DeixarFalar, was established in 1928 and it brought with it wave of followers (Rio Carnival History). Following the formation of the first Samba School, numerous blocos converted their street bands into Samba Schools with an eye towards attaining legitimacy and escaping police discrimination (Raphael 76). The influx of new Samba Schools created a new dynamic between the members of the African community starting as a cooperative relationship then transforming into a competitive one.
The spirit among the newly formed schools in the late 1920s and early 1930s was one of friendship and mutual assistance (Raphael 77). However, when the government inserted itself into the Samba School dynamic through government subsidies and regulations, the relationships amongst the Samba Schools changed. The government offered the Samba Schools legitmacy and modest subsidies in return for their adherence for certain regulations (Raphael 77). This was the governments first attempt to reach out to the African population and the latter responded enthusiastically. By offering the Samba Schools government subsidies, the government brought these schools from their hillside origins to the main avenues where government officials judged their parades according to their standards, not standards of traditional Samba (Raphael 78). As prizes became larger, competition became more intense. And, due to intense competition between schools fighting to meet government criteria for Samba parades, t
he spirit of cooperation and the tradition of Samba were replaced (Raphael 78). “In 1930, Portela had paraded with a ten to fifteen-man band, using mostly homemade instruments. By 1960 the size of the rhythm section had reached nearly two hundred, and new, manufactured instruments were being purchased each year” (Raphael 79). The sheer growth is astonishing considering that prior to the 1920s, Samba was looked down upon and discriminated against. Samba School members apart of a winning school were more likely to attain private contracts to clubs and other shows (Raphael 80). Government officials were starting to notice that the Samba parades were a spectacle and a tourist attraction.
Government officials soon noticed that Rio’s appeal was great and the Carnival was a natural attraction (Raphael 80). Therefore, the government proceeded to pump more money into subsidies as a way to fuel further creativity to create a spectacle of luxury and beauty and they started offering larger prizes, thereby further fueling the feeling of competition among Samba schools (Raphael 80). Further regulations were imposed to speed up the time between Samba school parades to meet the demands of tourists. Gradually, from the onset of Samba schools to where they are today, Samba schools have become commercial enterprises that the government uses to generate further tourism and to create a magnificent spectacle that gets better with each year. However, this is not how Samba Schools started and this is not what they were intended to be.
Samba School Parade – Rio De Janeiro (2013)
Conclusion
Modern day Rio Carnival encompasses every development discussed on this page. Duringthe 19th and 20th centuries, the Rio Carnival experienced major transformationsthat evolved Rio Carnival from its onset in 1723 to what is it today. “Boththe inclusion of themed characters with specific roles and responsibilities, inaddition to the rhythm and beats added by the orchestras, played an importantpart to the evolution of Carnival as a competition” (Rio CarnivalHistory).RioCarnival is a tradition that has been held for centuries, however, it is a tradition that has experienced new developments with every additionally century of existence that have guided this festival in a new direction. Regarding the evolution of Rio Carnival, the introduction of Samba music and the development of Samba Schools are the most important aspects to understanding modern day Rio Carnival. Ultimately, Samba Schools included the ideas of themed characters with designated responsibilities accompanied by orchestras, however, on a much larger scale. The competition between Samba Schools aided in the evolution of Rio Carnival into a competition, where different schools would compete for first place and prizes. With the inclusion of themed characters with specific roles, instruments accompanying these characters, and the formal structure of parade adopted by Samba Schools, we can observe how much this carnival has changed and evolved over time into the well-known and revered festival it is today.
Textual References
“The Cultural Origins of Carnival.” The Rio Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov.2014.<http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-entertainment/the-cultural-origins-of-carnival/>.
Hearst, Chesney. “The Rio Times : Interstitial Ad :Agência Heidelberg.” The Rio Times.N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.<http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-entertainment/carnival-in-rio-a-short-history/>.
“History of Carnival in Rio De Janeiro.” Travel Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov.2014. <http://traveltips.usatoday.com/history-carnival-rio-de-janeiro-11711.html>.
Raphael, Alison. “From Popular Culture toMicroenterprise: The History of Brazilian Samba Schools.” Latin American Music Review / Revista DeMúsica Latinoamericana 11.1 (1990): 73-83. Jstor.org. Web.
“Rio Carnival.” THE 2015 RIO CARNIVAL GUIDE: Programs, Venues, Tickets, Hotels andCostumes. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. <http://www.rio-carnival.net/>.
“Rio Carnival History – Carnival Dates and Schedule -Rio De Janeiro.” Rio Carnival.N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.<http://www.riocarnival.net/rio-carnival/history>.
Audiovisual References
Baldwin, Michael. At the Sapucai, Rio de Janeiro, 2006.Digital image. Wikipedia Commons.N.p., n.d. Web.<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sapucai_Panoramic.jpg>.
Betensley, Alan. Inside the Sambadrome, 2004. Digital image.Wikipedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web.<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samba_school_parades_2004.jpg>.
Carnival Rio De JaneiroStunning Parade! Dir. Off2Travels. YouTube.com. N.p., 15 Feb. 2013. Web.<Carnival Rio de Janeiro Stunning Parade!>.
Desmons, Lluchar. TheCity of Rio De Janeiro as Seen from Morro De Santo Antônio. Digital image. Wikipedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web.<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lluchar_Desmons_Panorama_da_cidade_do_Rio_de_Janeiro_tomado_do_Morro_de_Santo_Ant%C3%B4nio.JPG>.
Oliver, David. Carnival2013. Digital image. Flickr.com.N.p., n.d. Web.<https://www.flickr.com/photos/27881059@N05/8862416997/in/photolist-ev9cP4-dZ4cMv-ec3hGb-dV2MJm-evcfyy-nvza9F-gdYasi-e9fkUc-e663AL-e663Au-nvypBS-evcgmu-nvyAmu-nN1aFy-nvyFrE-nvyprn-nvyA2b-nvyzYf-nvyzDN-g25REv-eTo9in-eTobxP-eTzC3s-eTodtP-eTof98-eToetx-ev9bqR-g25ybq-g25RBe-g26un9-g26gvu-g25wx4-g265pv-g26dhL-e4R3YU-e3hy4P-gdZAqm-fnjWXP-fnjWUV-fnzadf-fnzamW-fnjWnT-fnjWAF-focbns-fnWQae-foca8W-dUWgDa-evcgZN-e4R3DL-e4R3QN-e4KqDp>.
Rio De Janeiro. Digital image. Flickr.com.N.p., n.d. Web.<https://www.flickr.com/photos/sama093/15089218528/in/photolist-7V1PRy-oNCCMB-7VhRir-dGQUnG-5c1Gys-dg5Mfk-n5c4dU-mhCUqM-oZobY9-7RZmCm-iyK3M-mm6hLa-mr572f-fwZnc4-dpP4sa-4JRXrB-3KJcQP-9JmuHx-2Pkzu-cRewRj>.
