The History of Carnival
The first carnival was planned during the 1640s when many feasts were created to honor the Greek gods, specifically wine gods. Soldiers would switch their outfits with other people to participate in nighttime festivities. The Roman Church cemented the current carnival traditions. They lead to Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. The first festival was created by Portuguese which inspired the Carnival. The year 1840 marks the very first Rio masquerade. There are many influences that went into the creation of the carnival for example, the African Samba music which is now considered as a piece of traditional Brazilian music.
The week of Carnival
The carnival starts with the crowning of King Momo which is initiated by the mayor. Once the carnival begins, many events begin. Some of the events could be Balls, street parades, street feasts, etc. Many of the balls are so amazing they are cast on live television. The Magic Ball is an upscale ball at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and tickets are usually very expensive.
Crowning of King Momo
Crowning of King Momo.
"Crowning of King Momo."Wikimedia Commons.Web
Samba
When the African slaves were brought to Rio by the Portuguese, they brought along with them their music and rhythms which has helped to create the uniqueness of the Rio Carnival and the creation of samba rhythms as well. At Carnival, special costumes made of feathers, grass, bones, sparkles, and bright colors, are commonly worn. Samba s such a big part of the Carnival and the Samba music at street parades influenced the creation of samba schools. These schools are located at the very center of the carnival celebration. Samba schools created a special identity to stand out from the rest of the street crowd as competition arose between street bands. Manguera, the first, most famous samba school was created in 1928. The Sambadromo is a stadium that was constructed in 1984 that hosts samba performances since street parades grew too big and samba schools wanted a more dynamic appearance. The Sambadromo was designed by Oscar Niemeyer with a very different, unique architecture.
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Sambodromo street samba.
"Rio carnival Brazil Carnival Party Sambodromo." Max Pixel.Web |