Thursday 23 February 2012

Carnaval!

Yesterday afternoon and this morning, Brazilians have been returning to work, school, and their normal business after the long Carnaval weekend. Millions of people took to the streets, as they do every year, to take part in the loud, colourful festivities. But what's it all about? What is it they are celebrating? What makes it different from Carnivals in other countries? Is there an 'official' way to do Carnaval? Is it spelt 'Carnaval' or 'Carnival'?

Painting of Entrudo dating from 17th Century
It's hard to give exact answers to many of the questions, since the modern-day carnaval can take its origins from several different events and parts of history - but here are a few 'facts' we've gleaned from other people and of course the internet …

Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro
CHRISTIAN ORIGINS: The period of Lent (the 40 days before Easter) has often been marked by abstinence from something. Some christians, but mainly Roman Catholics in Italy have traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat. The word "Carnaval" has its root in the Latin languages, and means something like 'Take Meat' (carne) - i.e. remove it from the diet. Carnaval, therefore, was a celebration of eating meat and doing other pleasurable things, prior to a period of discipline, when these things would not be 'allowed'. 



OVER THE YEARS IN BRAZIL: There are records of many different celebrations and parties, many of which merged together to become today's Carnaval. These included a street party imported form Portugal called "Entrudo", partying in Rio de Janeiro to mark the coronation (in Portugal) of Don João IV, and later again for his wedding.  In the late 18th century, some groups in Rio started celebrating "Serração da Velha" which means "old sawmill", which celebrated rejuvenation. This took place just before Lent, and so became combined with the religious festivals of the Catholic church. There has also been an African  influence introduced by the descendants of the black slaves in Brazil. Over the years, things started to get more organised and elaborate, with costumes, floats, music, and organised dancing.


Samba band
BRAZILIAN CARNAVAL TODAY: Carnaval is celebrated all over Brazil, and although it always involves costumes, music, dancing, food and drink, there are regional differences. In some regions, such as Rio de Janeiro, there are Blocos (blocks), which are teams usually made up of people from particular neighbourhoods, all dressed the same. Things can get quite competitive,  in many cases Samba Schools spend months practising dance routines. The type of music can vary from region to region, but there's always music! In some cities there are specific stadia built for Carnaval - like the Sambadrome in São Paulo; in other places streets are closed off and the city stops everything just for Samba. In our city, one of the main dual carriageways near the centre of town is closed to traffic, stands are erected and it becomes a temporary Carnaval stadium.

Carnaval in São Paulo




Friday 3 February 2012

A Day in São Paulo

Wednesday 25th January was an annual holiday in the city of São Paulo, to celebrate its 458th birthday. Being less than 60 miles away, we took this opportunity to visit some of the historical attractions of the city, and we've included a few snaps from our day.

Museu do Ipiranga
The first place we visited was the "Museu do Iparanga" - also known as the "Museu Paulista". This museum is famous as much for the building, gardens and surroundings as much as the contents of the museum. It helps if you know a little of the history of Brazil or have someone to explain it in order to appreciate some of the items on display - many of which are paintings. The children were interested to see some items which they had seen in books, and learnt about at school. As it was a special day, entrance to the museum was free!

Museum Ipiranga and Gardens
Nice Tree near the Museum!


View from Museum Iparanga
City Centre
In the centre of the city, near the old banking district is a footbridge over a busy road system, called "Viaduto Santa Ifigênia". The interesting thing is that the bridge is made of iron, constructed in England, and then transported in pieces to Brazil by ship. Presumably it was flat-packed with numbered pieces and instructions…

Viaduto Santa Ifigênia in the centre
Praça do Sé
Close to the Praça do Sé is the official birthplace of São Paulo. In case you hadn't guessed, the city is dedicated to St Paul!


Of course, in one day we only saw a part of the city, and we hope to visit again one day.