Carnival Of Carnival

896 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of Christian festival

What is Carnival in Rio de Janeiro?
A Research Report By Cecilia Durcan

Carnival is considered the biggest carnival in the world with 2 million people on the street per day it is a world famous festival held before Lent every year (Rio 2). In 2014 Carnival will begin on February 13 - the Friday before Ash Wednesday - and end on February 17 - the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The Winners Parade will take place on the first Sunday of Lent after the parades are over.

The roots of Carnival trace back to the ancient Greeks and Romans celebrating the first traces of spring (Rio 1). The tradition spread until France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal took up the tradition by throwing parties,wearing masks, and dancing in the streets (Rio 1). The traditions were then carried over to America by way of conquering.

The first records of Carnival in Rio was in 1723. These celebrations involved people dumping water on any bypasser in the streets. Even the emperor became involved (History)! This practice was eventually outlawed due to lack of restraint from those dumping water on others.

Over time there have been many variations of the celebration of Carnival. The earliest celebration on the list is Grande Sociedades - Grand Societies - in 1855. This was an organized parade where 80 aristocrats, including the emperor, were decorated with masks, costumes, music, and flowers, and went throughout the city (History). The next major celebration noted was in 1870 and was called Cordão Carnavalesco. In this celebration everyone was a character, be it a witch, a queen, a peasant, a king, or a dancer, everyone acted as their character was portrayed (History).The latest celebration recorded before evolving into modern-day Carnival is Zé Pereira. Th...

... middle of paper ...

... people, because Carnival is the one time of year they get to go out and have fun - they are the heart and soul of carnival. Carnival and samba are their main passions alongside football - soccer. Favelas are often members of local samba schools. Because samba schools often represent social clubs and neighborhoods, working classes of the favelas are a common sight when watching samba schools perform in the parades (Rio 1).

Carnival’s samba and street bands, history and parades, people and culture, amaze the world every year as bright colors flash across the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is a time of laughter and festivity as the Brazilian people enjoy themselves while preparing for the fasting season of Lent. This phenomenal event in Rio de Janeiro has been taking place every year for almost 300 years now, and we can expect that it will continue on for many more.

Show More
Related

  • Samba Alma Guillermoprieto Analysis

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Samba, Alma Guillermoprieto describes the Carnival celebrated every year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and explores the black cultural roots from which it takes its traditions as well as its social, economic, and political context in the 1980s. From her firsthand experience and investigation into favela life and the role of samba schools, specifically of Manguiera, Guillermoprieto illustrates a complex image of race relations in Brazil. The hegemonic character of samba culture in Brazil stands as a prevalent theme in numerous facets of favela life, samba schools, and racial interactions like the increasing involvement of white Brazilians in Carnival preparation and the popularity of mulatas with white Brazilians and tourists. Rio de Janeiro’s early development as a city was largely segregated after the practice of slavery ended. The centralization of Afro-Brazilians in favelas in the hills of the city strengthened their ties to black

    Read More

  • New Orleans Research Paper

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mardi Gras: Mardi Gras mean the ‘Fat Tuesday’. This festival marks the end of the carnival and the beginning of Lent period. The annual celebration starts in 1870. Some colorful dresses, ornaments, toys and the peoples are the main

    Read More

  • Functions of festivals in Early Modern Europe

    2675 Words  | 6 Pages

    In those days the average village in Western Europe celebrated at least 17 festivals annually, not counting family occasions and saints' days. Some festivals, such as Carnival, lasted several days or sometimes even several weeks. In the Netherlands Carnival started every year at the 11th of November (St. Martin) and culminated in a big festival of 'Dranck, pleijsier ende vrouwen' (Drink, fun and women) at the end of the Carnival period, preceding the period of Lent.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Child Of The Dark

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Carolina told about two boys wandering the streets of the favela who were from shelters in the city. At the shelters, there were innocent children abandoned or orphaned, but also there were young criminals sentenced to stay there. Both groups were thrown together and treated as though they all had prison sentences. Carolina wrote, “I felt that in the State Shelter the children’s morals were lowered. […] What’s lacking? Concern for the unfortunate or money from the State?” (81). Whether it was babies dying in the favela, or children growing into poverty, the families of favelados were destined for misfortune. Carolina’s older children were still in school, but they contributed to the family income, as was common at the time, by going out to beg or to collect paper and scrap with her. Favelas of Brazil bred the destruction of innocence and children grew up quickly, such as when “the son of Joaquim went to school drunk” (130). Intersectionality of race and class was also pertinent. Racism and classism prevented poor, impoverished children from receiving any opportunities to improve their

    Read More

  • The Roman games

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    The spectators came from all over the Roman Empire and various other regions, like Africa. The games became a way of entertaining the wealthy, as well as the common people.

    Read More

  • What does Samba Represents to Brazil?

    2326 Words  | 5 Pages

    The mass of almost one hundred thousand is edgy. The night is hot, humid, and alive with a feeling in the air so palpable you can almost trace it with your finger. The bleachers are filled to maximum capacity, along a mile-long stretch of paved roadway adjacent to an old brewery. People from all races, classes, and countries are celebrating together at the culmination of the orgiastic, pre-Lenten, hedonistic festival of Carnival. Soon, the first marchers proceed down the corridor to the booming cacophony of bass, snare, and friction drums. The rattling of tambourines, bells, and scrapers add flavor and accent. Like a bird set free, the singing cavaquinho (ukulele) emits its high pitched cries, adding to the frenzy. The marchers and dancers, with their quick, physical movements, undulating hips and heel steps, embody the living sound. It is time for the annual celebration once again in Brazil, time for Carnival, a time once again for the ultimate physical expression of joy: Samba.

    Read More

  • Cumbia in Mexican Culture

    1959 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cumbia originated in the coastal region of Colombia in the early 1800’s. There were three predominant cultures in Colombia at that time: the indigenous peoples, the Spaniards, and the African slaves. The cumbia began with the essential instrumentation of the tambor drums and the gaita flutes, which derive from both indigenous and Congo-based African roots. The genre was entertainment for the slaves, beginning as a courtship dance. It later became an outlet for national resistance and protest as Colombia was contesting for its independence. The music was able to diffuse throughout the nation, spreading from the coast, primarily for the reason that many African populations were scattered in various regions. Barranquilla, a port city in Colombia, was the core of where the music became established and played for the masses, and where instruments such as horns and bass began to be incorporated into cumbia, giving it a more Latin feel. As cumbia evolved and spread to Mexico around the 1930’s, it changed from the influence o...

    Read More

  • Birth of the Calle Ocho Festival

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Music, food, dancing, and smiling faces are some of the many attractions you may find at this festival. Performers such as Willy Chirino, Oscar de Leon, El Gran Combo, Celia Cruz, The Barrio Boys, and Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, among others, have performed during the past twenty years. Salsa, merengue, cumbia, and guaguancó dancers fill the streets of Little Havana every year.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of City Of God

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    By definition, a favela is “a settlement of jerry-built shacks lying on the outskirts of a Brazilian city” (Merriam-Webster.com). In City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles, the favela takes on a persona of its own and is somewhat of a central character in the film. The favela shapes the personalities and lifestyles of its residents and makes the characters who they are. It symbolizes poverty, brutality, corruption, death, and social apartheid. The favela is depicted as a prison; it swallows the characters at a very young age and engrosses them in its criminal activity that seems hopelessly inescapable. The characters are so accustomed to thieving and killing that they cannot fathom any...

    Read More

  • El Dia de los Muertos

    306 Words  | 1 Pages

    El Dia de los Muertos was brought to the United States when Mexican-Americans underwent a cultural reawakening in the early 1970s. The holiday's popularity has since spread to other races and cultures. The Day of the Dead celebrates life past and present, and not just death alone. Revelers construct ofrendas, the offerings of food, drinks, cigarettes, toys, and candy, set out for returning souls. Revelers take joy in honoring the dead, usually with music, dancing, crafts and food.

    Read More

  • Mardi Gras

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    Carnival season begins on January sixth while the actual date of Mardi Gras varies every year. Mardi Gras Day is the "Fat Tuesday" before Ash Wednesday and Lent. Ok, you will need to know a bit about its' history. The origin of Mardi Gras can be traced back to Rome in the middle ages w/ the welcoming of Spring. In 1872, the appearance of Rex as the King of Mardi Gras brought about the presentation of Carnivals' colors, flag and anthem. The colors of Mardi Gras are purple , gold, and green. While they were probably chosen simply because they looked good together, a meaning was assigned to each of them by King Rex. Purple represents "justice", Green stands for "faith", and Gold signifies "power". A group known in the 1830's as the Comus organization established several Mardi Gras traditions such as the word "Krewe" which is the name for the parades members. Comus also chose

    Read More

  • Samba and the National Identity of Brazil

    2169 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...'s national musical style. Samba's roots come from a mix of different culture Africa, mainly Angola via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions, and impetrated it is form from Portugal and Europe, which made it possible for the slaves to relatively intricate melodies found in samba to be developed out of European tradition, giving it is birth at Praca Onze. Samba is a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival, making it so an icon of Brazilian national identity.

    Read More

  • Description of La Semana Santa Holiday

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    The preparation for this big event starts months in advance. Cofradias are the like the coordinators of the event. In English, Cofradias means brotherhood and they work together to plan and make sure the entire holiday is taken care of. They are also known as the “Heart of the Holy Week”. Confradias have to map out the route of the parade for every day of the week. The parts of the parade that are on main streets have bleachers on the sides for seating. However, these seats must be booked far in advance and are very costly. Cofradias also have to make sure that there are police and security so that the holiday is safe and peaceful. After the day’s parade ends, there are crews that come out and clean the streets. The Confradias are in charge of taking care of the Jesus and Virgin Mary throughout the year and that al...

    Read More

  • Free Descriptive Essays - Carnival Rides

    443 Words  | 1 Pages

    I have always been fascinated by carnival rides. It amazes me that average, ordinary people eagerly trade in the serenity of the ground for the chance to be tossed through the air like vegetables in a food processor. It amazes me that at some time in history someone thought that people would enjoy this, and that person invented what must have been the first of these terrifying machines. For me, it is precisely the thrill and excitement of having survived the ride that keeps me coming back for more.

    Read More

  • Cultural Festivals

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...cing and partying at their graveyards? That’s Mexican celebrate the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. On the first two days in November, they stop everything for the most distinctive festival that mixes Aztec and Catholic traditions into a special time for families to come together to honor their deceased ones. November 2nd is the official national holiday for the Day of the Dead. An Aztec mid- August banquet with the ancestors was appropriated by Catholic priest to coincide with their All Saints Day to encourage the conversion of the Indians to the Catholic faith.

    Read More

More about Carnival Of Carnival

Open Document