Okay guys, let’s talk about the most famous parade in Brazil. The Carnival!

I want to talk about Carnival because seems to me that some people have a wrong idea of what Carnival really means to Brazilians or in general. It’s not all about sexuality and pornography. When tourists from all over the world go for the Carnival, they are fascinated by the joy of the event. It is really contagious, if I can say that!

This event takes place annually in the month of February from Friday to Tuesday, right before Ash Wednesday and as soon as it ends, the leaders of the “Escolas de Samba” and the members of these schools start to work again for the following year’s party. They work on the new music, song, costumes and all the themes they will have in the school and show in the next event. The community is a big part of it too and they help to work on the costumes and the floats. They take it very  serious and there are rehearsals during the year, specially, from September to January, where they practice in their headquarters (yes, it school has a headquarter where they gather during the year for barbecues, parties and meetings. Each school can have a rehearsal in the actual site (Sambodromo) where they will perform in the Carnival. It’s a big deal and believe me, some people spend money they don’t have to buy their costumes. Some costumes are very expensive and some people save money all year to buy them. It is a national passion, well at least for most of Brazilians.

Carnival in Brazil goes beyond providing entertainment. It reflects the culture of that country. The music, dance, song, costumes and people are what make this huge event to be news around the world.

The Carnival is a celebration in the entire country and it varies in style from state to state.

In Sao Paulo and Rio the celebration are alike, where the Escolas de Samba bring to the “Sambodromo” their show for the public to see it. Each Escola de Samba has its own “samba enredo”. Each Escola presents a different theme in the Sambodromo and is represented with the music, costumes, dance and “carros alegoricos”. It is a beautiful event and goes from 9 or 10 pm to 7 or 8 am, each day. The Parade in Sao Paulo takes place on Friday and Saturday for the biggest schools to compete and in Rio, Sunday and Monday are the days for the main schools to compete. Each School has 1 hour to complete the presentation in the Sambodromo. They can lose points if the timing is not right, like if they take less or more time to cross the Sambodromo. There are people that participate in schools in Sao Paulo and in Rio, so big is the love for this event. The results for both schools are revealed on Ash Wednesday and sometimes there are huge fights and the judges may need protection. The reason for that is that the schools are classified by groups and sometimes one school that won in first place in the previous year can fall into 10th place in that year and when they don’t agree with the grades the school gets, oh well, you can imagine what can happen.

Recife, Olinda, Porto Seguro and Salvador have small groups and uses “trio eletrico” or “carros alegoricos”, which consists in a truck that has high power sound system with a band, group and/or singer on top of it that performs their show on top of it while it is driven very slowly in main streets of certain towns with the public following it, dancing, singing all day and night. There is no competition like in Rio and Sao Paulo.

It can be very hot and many people even pass out due to drinking too much, not eating, or combination of both. It is very common for fire fighters to have a truck spraying water in the public during these parades.

In Olinda they have “bonecos gigantes”  that leads the “blocos” on the streets.

If you’ve never been to a carnival in Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, you will never really know why all of the buzz about it. Well, you may see it on TV but when you are there, participating, either watching it from the bleaches in the Sambodromo or right in the middle of the parade as a participant, you can feel your heart beating in the same rhythm of the “bateria”.

A lot of people don’t know it, but even foreigner can participate in the event in Sao Paulo and Rio. They can buy costumes from any School they like and participate in the event. Of course it would be ideal that they would be able to practice at least once before the carnival so they are not so lost on what to do when they are in the “avenida” or “passarela” (Sambodromo). Be careful though. Don't go buy from any website that say that the sell them. There are scams.

At the end of this post I will have some videos with the celebration in some states so you can see the differences.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy it.

Have a beautiful day!

Dictionary

Escola de Samba – Samba School

Samba Enredo - music created specially, for the school and the event

Sambodromo – place where the parade takes place – In Sao Paulo it is Anhembi, and in Rio is Marques de Sapucai

Giant Puppets (picture from a friend of mine and her family when they visited Olinda.
Bonecos Gigantes – Giant Puppets (they use a lot of politic figures to mock them or make them a tribute. The picture here was given to me to use here. Thanks Vi!

Trio Eletrico – Brig truck that has high power sound system with a band, group and/or singer on top of it that performs their show on top of it while it is driven very slowly in main streets of certain towns with the public following it, dancing, singing all day and night. There are some trios eletricos that stay in one place, like in front of a bar or restaurant, a place where people can gather and enjoy the group, band or singer they like most.

Carros Alegoricos – Floats

Blocos – Street bands and group followed by the public on the streets.

Bateria - percussion instruments of the school of samba.

Avenue or passarela – It is common for us Brazilians to refer to the Sambodromo as avenue or runway when we talk about it.

Below are the main samba schools for the Carnival of 2014. There are other schools, but as I said, sometimes they fall into another group and cannot make to the Sambodromo, so they still participate but as small groups in certain neighborhoods in the city of Sao Paulo and Rio. Each year it is harder for the judges to decide on the grades as the schools improve and make it harder for the judges to grade them.

Samba Schools Rio de Janeiro:  Beija-Flor, Grande Rio, Imperatriz, Magueira, Mocidade, Portela, Inocentes de Belford Roxo, Salgueiro, Sao Clemente, Uniao da Ilha, Unidos da Tijuca, Vila Isabel, Tradicao, Unicao de Jacarepagua,  Academicos da Rocinha, Renascer de Jacarepagua, Unidos do Porto da Pedra, Paraisos do Tuiuti, Imperio Serrano, Alegria da Zona Sul, Uniao do Parque Curicica, Caprichosos de Pilares, Unidos do Viradouro, Estacio de Sa, Academicos de Santa Cruz, Unidos de Padre Miguel, Academicos do Cubango.

Samba Schools Sao Paulo: Leadnro de Itaquera, Rosas de Ouro, X-9 Paulistana, Dragoes da Real, Academicos do Tucuruvi, Vai-Vai, Tom Maior, Perola Negra, Gavioes da Fiel, Mocidade Alegre, Nene da Vila Matilde, Aguia de Ouro, Imperio da Casa Verde, Academicos do Tatuape, Colorado do Bras, Morro da Casa Verde, Unidos do Peruche, Camisa Verde e Branco, Imperador do Ipiranga, Unidos de Vila Maria, Mancha Verde, Estrela do Terceiro Milenio, Unidos de Santa Barbara, Uirapuru da Mooca, Torcida Joven do Santos, Prova de Fogo, Tradicao Albertinense, Unidos de Sao Lucas, Uniao Imperial, Camisa 12, Dom Bosco, Independente Tricolor, Amizade da Zona Leste, Unidos de Sao Miguel.

Below are the videos I said I would have for you at the end so you can see the difference between the Carnival in Sao Paulo and Rio and Bahia, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais and other states.

Practice in a School http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydp1Ty3EYFM

Ensaio Tecnico (technical rehearsal) of Tucuruvi school at Sambodromo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDMvClG0i-Q

Ensaio Tecnico (technical rehearsal) of Tucuruvi school at at Sambodromo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUNbIvS5OQA

Sao Paulo parade - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sawIbWq4s6s

Sao Paulo – Aguia de Ouro School http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nptNxOa5gtI

Sao Paulo – Rosas de Ouro School  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz-SO8-sB1k

Rio parade (compact) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDphdusk_jg

Rio – Beija Flor School http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySrby52tBFc

Olinda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHr2y48HUJc

Minas Gerais http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxEfJbZFT3c

Porto Alegre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNmxDR1hHlw

Salvador, BA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEPLDxONGk

Salvador – Chiclete com Banana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u72UKQ2zvW0

Salvador – Ivete Sangalo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgsdPDDsv9g

Salvador – Ivete Sangalo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12J8libjDQo

Hi Everybody! I wanted to post before but it was a hectic week for me. Anyway, last time I told you a little about Brazil’s culture in terms of staying at your parents’ home until you get married and I mentioned the traffic.

Oh well, if you have been to Brazil, specially, Sao Paulo or perhaps any big city in that country, you know what I’m talking about.

When people tell me they were in a horrible traffic in San Diego I laugh. That’s because the traffic in San Diego doesn’t exist compared to the traffic in Sao Paulo. Come on San Diegans, please!

Seriously, in Sao Paulo, sometimes you stuck in traffic for hours. If a route would take you 30 minutes from a point to another, with the traffic that could take you 2 or 2 ½ hour to do the same route. Now, that’s traffic.

Before, this used to happen only during the pick hours, but now there is no such a thing. Seems to me that all the cars in the entire city of Sao Paulo are on the road at that exact moment you are.

Besides that, there are the so called “motoboys” ! Ah, you would love them! There are millions of motorcycle riders working for delivery companies. They are like busy bees, delivering documents all day long. They go from one company to another, or to banks, you name it. They are everywhere and I’m not kidding when I tell you that you cannot transfer from one lane to another because they are all over the place and if you are not paying attention and don’t see them in your mirrors when you try to change lanes, you will get hit by one or two of them. Your car will no longer have mirror because they will kick it. So watch out! It is crazy. The same guys that delivers documents during the day, delivers pizza at night, but at night it is not so bad with the motoboys.

Every day hundreds of them lose their lives in the traffic of Sao Paulo. They make money by hour, so the fast they go, more money they get and of course more risk they take.

Anyway, so you are stuck in traffic and you have no air conditioning in your car and you can’t open the windows because you can be robbed.  Just kidding, most cars have air conditioning but some don’t. The very basic ones, categorized as 1.0 type.

Now seriously, you have to pay attention to everything specially, if you are in downtown Sao Paulo, or every main big city in Brazil. Please, keep the windows in your car closed, with or without air conditioning.  You can leave it cracked open, but at the traffic light, just close it. Don’t take chances. There are many kids, young adults and adults near the traffic light. They sell snacks, soft drinks, beer, water, etc., or they have these spray bottles with water and soap (I think) and they will try to clean your windshield and expect you to give them money. Just gesture nicely that you don’t want them to clean your window. Don’t engage in argument with them. Some of them or maybe most of them are probably honest people that don’t have a job and are just trying to make some money but some of them, you know, are there just to try to do their job, which is still from you. They can have a gun, a knife or a piece of glass so they will use to intimidate you, and boy, that work.

I don’t want to scare you and have you all concerned about going to Brazil, because it’s really not that bad as long as you pay attention to your surroundings, just like you would certainly do in any place you go to, even here in the United States, that you don’t feel totally safe, a place you have never been to before. Just use common sense and don’t show off you jewelry. Watch your mirrors and drive safe. If it is possible, if you are not in the middle of a total jammed parking lot type of traffic, stop the car with a good distance from the car ahead of you. A way to know how distance would be good is to look at the car ahead of you. You should be able to see its rear tires.

I just wanted to talk about traffic and ended up talking about thieves. I guess all is connected. But I don't want to discourage you to visit that beautiful country. You will fall in love with it, despite it's problems. People there are really warm and fun and the food... it is to dye for! This is something I miss a lot living here.

That’s it for today. It’s been a long week.

Have a great weekend! 

Hi everybody!

Today I'm going to talk a little about some differences in our culture.

Families in Brazil are very close. So close that the kids leave home only when they get married. Never mind de age, really. It doesn’t matter if you are 20, 30 or 40 years old.

Sure, some people leave earlier, but usually after college, when they can support themselves financially as they have good jobs with good salaries and can afford a rent or buy their own place, or when the parents are rich and can send their kids to study abroad after they complete high school (very few). Or when they have no choice, like when they find a job that is too far from home, sometimes in another city and it is not worth the time spent in traffic, by the way, this is another hot topic that I will talk about later.

There are many reasons for it and the economy certainly has a share on this. But I believe it is cultural too. I was shocked when I found out way back that kids here in the United States leave their home when they are off to college and mainly because they choose to go to a school in another city or even state.

Another thing is that families take care of their parents when they get old and can’t take care of themselves anymore. Here they go to a retirement home or such. In Brazil that happens too but usually they care for their parents at home, unless there is something that would prevent that to happen, like their job, again, here is the economy talking. If they have money and can afford, they hire a home care companion or in some cases, they send them to nursing homes, which most people would feel guilty about it.

There are many cases when the adult place their parents to a nursing homes maintained by the government because they can’t afford to pay or because they are not emotionally able to take care of them. And there are some cases where they abandon their parents in these places. We call these places “Asilo”. The conditions in these places are as dignified as they can be, as they depend government assistant and many of them rely on donations. It is very sad to see an abandoned elderly in these places, but sometimes, they are better off in a place like this because at least they have other people to talk to, to receive some love and affection from the  employees, visitor and volunteers.

Many companies nowadays, are involved in volunteer programs and at least once a year they gather some employees and they go visit these places and bring food, drinks and clothes and most important, give the elderly there some attention that most need. You can see happiness, sadness, wisdom and all kinds of mixed feelings in their eyes. It is wonderful to be able to participate in such events.

Well, that’s all for today. I hope you will enjoy reading this post.

Have a great day!  :-)