Brazil is known for its beautiful women, music, flora, fauna and colorful parties. But have you ever stopped to think how much you really know about Brazil beyond what they show you in movies? So Brazil is actually really beautiful it’s a really colorful place at this time of the year because beyond the flora being beautiful because of the summer weather most of Brazilian’s are actually excited for the carnival. What is the carnival you must be asking yourself? Well, it’s a festival that is celebrated annually in Brazil; it starts forty days before Easter, indicating the beginning of lent. Depending on the year the start date of the carnival can vary between February and March.
The history behind this Brazilian celebration is that it was introduced by the Spanish and Portuguese navigators. The mixture of this two European cultures gave that unique touch to the Brazilian festivity but also to the music and dances. The carnival is characterized by the parade with the huge floats that are decorated with different themes. Each samba school chooses a different theme for their presentation. In places like São Paulo and Rio De Janeiro are where the biggest samba schools are located. In São Paulo there is: Mocidade Alegre, Camisa Verde e Branco, Rosas de Ouro, Unidos do Peruche, Leandro de Itaquera, Dragões da Real. And in Rio de Janeiro there is Mangueira, Portela, Salgueiro, Beija-Flor, Imperatriz, Império Serrano, Mocidade Independente.
Here in Brasil around this time of the year we can all leave our worries at home and go outside to party. The official carnival starts four days before Ash Wednesday but in São Paulo we have the street blocks two weeks before the official carnival. The street blocks are a group of people that go to the streets to dance, drink and just let loose for a day. Most of the time when you go to a street block you coordinate with some friends and go with a funny group costume; these are some of the informal festivities that are often broadcasted on TV.
The Brazilian culture goes beyond the flora, fauna, and samba. The Brazilian culture is summed up in one phrase and that is the:
Ability to be happy during carnival.
Comments are closed.