Blogs :: My Carnaval, Not Everyones

My Carnaval, Not Everyones

The closest thing I can think of to relate what Carnaval (in Portuguese, everywhere else, Carnival) here in Rio de Janeiro was for me like is to go back to my small town semi-roots: "street dance". If you are unfamiliar with the term, "block party" might be more adequate, but I cannot imagine many of these go on these days with all the laws regarding underage drinking, liability litigation, etc.

These two ideas come to mind in attempting and failing to describe Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro: "street dance" and "block party". Essentially they are the same thing, but for people from different places. If you are from the middle of nowhere Nebraska, the former term rings true to your roots. If you are from the big city, perhaps the later is more to your liking. But this holiday really is not just one, not just the other. It's both. It's bigger. It's bigger than bigger. It is people from both walks of life, from country to city, from slums to mansions, together, in harmony, at the largest party on Earth.

Now what entails a good party? For the 11 million inhabitants of this city along with the 2+ million estimated tourists, it can mean so many different things. But I selected to be apart of where "the people" go. And they go to the street. Called a "bloco", some 100+ variations exist starting weeks before the official celebrations and even a few, including the largest, ending weeks after.

A few ingredients go into making a bloco. The already mentioned 1,000's of people are important. Next a party must have music. In the majority of cases this consists of a two story bus, specifically designed for Carnaval, to carry a multi-piece band, singers, etc. on its roof along with camera crews, reporters, and VIPs. Because buses move (that's right, this party moves down the streets, like a parade, but you are in it), surrounding it by 5 feet on 3 sides is a rope held taut by requiredly huge Cariocas (imagine the burns keeping out the 10s and 20s of people pushing on it simultaneously every 10 feet). Another 50 feet of caution taped area in front of the bus, a marching band huddles to perform an incredibly drumtastic array of original beats and compositions commissioned solely and specifically for this bloco, interspersed with traditional chants from around the country.

With great music, there is dancing. Another key part. While I have always considered myself the tall white guy who sticks out like a sore thumb at the disco club, who always requires copious amounts of alcohol to even get out onto the dance floor, and then continues his downward spiral for the night by actually believing he can move, I was not this person at the bloco. Not that any of the above did not happen on a few occasions, I found the following to be true of dancing during Carnaval. I'm not the biggest or goofiest looking person dancing. I'm not self-impossed to finish 10 drinks before starting. I'm not require to have any skill whatsoever. What a relief it was to realize these facts and be able to partake in one of the many things Brazilians love: dancing!

Of course, just because it was not necessary, does not mean liquids were not flowing from all corners of the streets, into mouths, and out of urinary organs back onto the corners.

Imagine going to a 4th of July celebration. Every family brings a nice, huge styrofoam cooler to pack enough food and beer for 25 guests. Remove food, replace with, more beer. Put cooler on shopping cart (remember: moving). Stash extra 12 packs underneath. Now imagine the families only 2 feet apart. Limitless, endless, infinite. All good words to also describe the flow into the mouths of young and old. Next imagine that $1 = 1 beer or $2 = 3 beers. No piggy is killed. Finally, imagine a party without port-a-potties, which are not quite as portable as their name might imply (remember: moving). So back onto the street corners the flow eventually returns and in parts of the city hosting multiple blocos over multiple weeks, the smell of piss permeates the air until the next big rain. (Don't imagine that, it's not pretty, but it is the Carioca way I was told and who doesn't want to fit in?)

In review, we have 1) people, 2) music, 3) dancing, 4) booze and lastly: 5) giant dudes in pink tutus. More specifically, costumes. Bloco parties each have their own theme and sometimes this includes dressing up. One of the most popular and hilarious is the "cross dressing" themed event. I was quite literally traumatized by many, but the saying around here basically says you can and should do anything, and no one, not anyone can hold against you because, well, "It's Carnaval."

End story. Want more? There can be more, but this is what I did for 2 weeks. Rio de Janeiro offers so many additional forms of entertainment from big costume parades in the Sambadromo to private anything-you-want-to-imagine parties to special club events. These events however are not what the people, the Cariocas, born and raised here do. They party and dance and drink in the streets. And its Marvelous!