Vou festejar! (Carnival Special 3)

I feel exceptionally inspired these days. And it’s all because of the carnival. By now you may be under the impression that I am mocking the whole thing, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m loving it! Undoubtedly, I would love it even more if I had a chance to actually watch it live, AT the sambadrome, but not this time. To stay in Rio during these two days would absolutely ruin my budget, so I have to make do with transmissions by Globo. And if you think that my bitterness has something to do with that fact, who knows, you may be onto something.

I have recently mentioned that the samba enredos tend to be repetitive. Obviously, the genre has got its requirements and the public has got their expectations, so certain rules have to be followed. The melody line usually sounds a bit complicated at first, especially for European ears, but having listened to it a few times most people remember it rather effortlessly. The chorus or refrain is meant to be catchy as the idea is that all members of the parade and all fans of the school sing the song together. I suppose these days the problem is that all enredos sound very much alike, so it’s very probable that if you learn a few, you may end up mixing them up without noticing. Assuming that a particular one hasn’t already become your personal anthem; followers of samba schools often resemble football fans, fiercely defending their choices.

I’ve come across the diagram below which explains the formula of samba enredo. So, you begin by welcoming the audience (Alô, meu povo!), then go to the very beginnings (tempos primordios) of whatever it is you want to sing about, choose your main area (African roots, the Amazon, the Sertão or Northeastern Brazil), cram your lines with characteristic words (names of African gods and goddesses, warriors or anything related to Indians and their beliefs, famous revolution leaders or national heroes*, etc.) and then warm up the crowd, throw in a bit of magic or praise a (preferably dead) celebrity. This must almost invariably be followed by a common ôôôô or very Brazilian laia laia and we’re done! Now, since it’s an enredo, it means that the song is looped, so you sing it over and over again (until the end of the parade anyway). Easy-peasy. Ready to write your own?

 And these are the most popular words in the samba enredos of carnival day 1 in Rio:

For non-Portuguese speakers, I’ll translate: amor – love, mar – sea, bahia – Bahia (the state), emoção – emotion, sonho – dream, tambor – a big drum, vem – come, vim – I came, chegando – coming, faz – you do / (s)he does, fiz – I did, ancestrais – ancestors, magia – magic, liberdade -  freedom. For me the key word here is festejar – celebrate. Go on, celebrate the carnival before it’s over!

*** Some links to read more for the interested:

Sertão - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sert%C3%A3o

Lampião  - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampi%C3%A3o

Maria Bonita - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Bonita

Parintins  - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parintins

No use crying over spilt milk (Carnival Special 2)

This one is hot from the press! I am watching the carnival parade, not from a Brahma cabin like I would have preferred, but from the warm seat in front of my computer screen. Luckily, Globo is broadcasting the show live on the Internet (I suppose I could watch it on TV, but I’m actually trying to work at the same time). I’ve figured I needed to share my feelings about the school that has just finished their procession; Porto da Pedra. Grand costumes, grandiose floats and ...a grotesque theme. We were hereby presented with an exaltation of... yoghurt! Actually, not just yoghurt but milk in general and in particular, as various other dairy products have also made their way to the sambadrome. The comissão de frente, a group that opens a parade, symbolised "Lactobacilos da Folia". You know what makes milk turn into yoghurt? That’s what they were. Then came the allegorical floats; “The Milk of The Gods” to say that the heavenly drink is present in various civilisations (no joke?), through a yoghurt feast and the preferred delicacies in China (who would have known!), to “Yoghurt, from the Otoman Empire to the European Courts”. Seriously, have they run of themes for the carnival?? Other schools have decided to pay homage to famous painters, writers or other people that have somehow contributed to Brazil’s cultural growth. Themes such as important historical events or examples of cultures heritage are also common. But milk?

At the end of the parade, the commentators expressed their opinions, visibly struggling not to laugh. Someone said that their enredo was forced. Well, how much can you sing about the white liquid? Globo itself called the theme “unusual”. Surely “cheesy” would have been more appropriate.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The costumes were beautiful, the floats all glittery and sparkingly chee.. cheerful, the dancers shook their feathers sensually and all that. But as one person on the studio commented, it was all like “squeezing milk out of a stone”.*

http://g1.globo.com/carnaval/2012/fotos/2012/02/veja-fotos-do-desfile-da-porto-da-pedra.html#F375240

* é como tirar leite da pedra were the exact words, how accurate.

Watch the carnival live!

This is a very quick post just to let you know (those of you who are still awake) that you can watch the carnival parade in Rio live here, today and tomorrow:

http://g1.globo.com/rio-de-janeiro/carnaval/2012/desfile-apuracao/cobertura/

Enjoy! And let me know what you think! ;)

Image source: 

http://twincities.slideshowpro.com/albums/047/481/album-305825/cache/carnival_2-19_0002.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1329706810

Ilú Obá de Min (Carnival Special 1)

So the carnival is here and it would be a sacrilege not to celebrate it. Strangely enough, not all Brazilians sport this annual revelry and, sadly, that includes my boyfriend. The main reason, according to him and many of his compatriots, is that it is not what it used to be, the highly institutionalised parade at the sambadrome topping the list. I have heard quite a few people complain about the quality of today’s enredos (samba theme songs), which actually qualifies for a separate post, as well as about extreme nudity which seems to be prevalent among the female samba dancers these days. Let’s face it, the samba costumes have never been prissy, except maybe for the allegorical fantasias*, but I have to admit that those plastic boobs sticking out a mile do ruin the whole thing. Revealing – yes, sexy – yes, slutty – no. Unfortunately, the latter has become the new chic to some.

Source: http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/carnaval/2012/noticia/2012/02/quero-causar-abafar-no-carnaval-vale-tudo-diz-vice-miss-bumbum.html

Despite the above mentioned downsides, I still want to experience the carnival as it is, since I can’t magically teleport myself back in time to enjoy its magnificent past. Nor do I have any comparison. I may claim to have been a Brazilian in my previous life, but that somehow doesn’t empower me to remember the original beauty of the greatest party on Earth. But if you don’t have what you want, want what you have. And what there is plenty of in São Paulo are the blocos or mini-parades not confined to the rigid concrete space of sambadrome, but allowed to freely roam the streets. Sure, they’re not as lavish or impressive as the main parade, but neither as costly (they’re free!) and way more authentic!

Last night I saw Ilú Obá de Min, a bloco devoted to exploring the Afro-Brazilian heritage, so the dancers, conveniently using stilts (conveniently – because at least you could see them from the crowd!), represented various African Orixas; deities that correspond to various forces of nature and whose archetypes are manifestations of these forces.** You could see, for example, Oxalá – the father of spiritual purity and pure light:

Good fun in a crowd that at times became too dense, but never stopped jumping and enjoying the vibe. Here’s a taste of the night and I’m off to another bloco....

There's another video here: http://youtu.be/fcKyuvBmrlg - check it out!
(can't seem to be able to include a miniature)

*the fancy costumes representing various themes
** read more about Orixas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orisha

8 or 80

The longer I’m here, the quicker time passes. I’ve barely got three weeks till my departure! Now, just to make things clear, this blog is not going to be abandoned; I will continue writing about my Brazilian adventures and experiences after my return to London. And hopefully you will continue to follow me ;)

Now what was it that I wanted to tell you? Was it that São Paulo is much less Brazilian and much more English than I’d thought? OK, only in one area: the weather. I was convinced that gloomy grey sky was a feature typical only of Britain. But if you think that glaring sun welcomed me here, think again. For most of the time whenever I looked out the window in our flat in the centre, apart from really ugly dilapidating buildings that probably remember the city’s more glorious past, I saw a seamless silvery screen blocking any attempts of the sun to illuminate the metropolitan reality. And that was on a lucky day. At other times it felt as if the sky had been torn apart and just burst into a weeping fit that went on for hours. Little did I know that São Paulo used to be called “Terra da garoa” or “a land of drizzle”. That was before they poured concrete over the numerous canals and small rivers that had run through the city, messing with its climate, but not ridding it of the rainy inclinations.

I remember one Sunday, somewhere in December, when the weather let go. Beautiful sunshine shone through the thin clouds making the world smile. We headed for the swimming pool in the hope of passing a relaxing afternoon. I got so excited I immediately found a deck chair, arranged my towel on it and took great care that my 50 UV sunscreen (for kids) covered every bit of my bare skin. I didn’t want to repeat the bad experiences from a Rio beach last year when filter 30 proved not enough and left me sore for a week. Still remembering the cool air of London, the idea of sunbathing in the summer heat of São Paulo really tickled my buds. I lay down, closed my eyes and... felt the first drop on my stomach. Dazzled, I looked up and this is what I saw:

Within minutes it was pouring down with rain. And didn’t stop for days on end. They said it is the coolest summer that this city has seen in years. Unconsoled by this, I started praying for some heat. After all, what was the point of crossing the damn ocean if I was to experience the same shitty weather?! Well, all I can say is be careful what you ask for, you might just get it. Because when, after weeks of cold gloom, the sun suddenly hit, it was relentless. I didn’t dare leave the house without sunscreen on, even to go to the supermarket. I tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep in the stuffy room. Opening the window was not much of a relief as outside it was almost just as hot as inside. Three sleepless nights made me scrape my pockets to buy a ventilator. Three delightful ones later, I was again hiding under a duvet for fear of catching a cold. This is what São Paulo weather is like, either 8 or 80.*

* to be 8 or 80 – an expression in Brazilian Portuguese (oito ou oitenta) meaning that something/someone is between two extremes, without middle ground

To-do list

I had another dream that I went back to Europe. No, no, no, it can’t be, I’m definitely still in Brazil! – I thought soberly, my mind still sleeping. Is it my subconscious poking me?  The first thing I did when I woke up was grab a pen and some paper. Number one: Carnival. Ha, that’s what it’s all about! I just can’t imagine being in Brazil at this time of the year and not taking part in the biggest party on earth. Last year’s visit to Rio when, having seen all the preparations and the frenzy at Sapucaí*, I had to pack my bags and fly back to London (to teach my otherwise wonderful students) was painful enough. As I’m a member of a samba school in London, I see it almost as my obligation to get some first-hand experience at the roots of this whole madness. Trouble is, I don’t have the ticket yet, the main reason being I’m still hesitating between staying in São Paulo (acceptable) or going to Rio (ideal). The second option would mean using up probably all my savings, IF I manage to find a place to stay in Rio at all. I have contacted all my friends there asking for help and some floor space, but they either skilfully evaded my request or opted for “I’m-too-busy-to-reply” attitude. Thanks guys. Well, I guess I’ll just leave it till the last minute. Any useful comments or advice welcome.

Number two: samba school rehearsals. I just can’t seem to let it go, can I. Musically, carnival samba is not the highest form of art, I admit (and foresee a wave of protests), given that you can’t always understand what the puxadores** are singing and most enredos** are rather repetitive. The truth is, however, that this form of samba irradiates so much energy that your hair stand on ends at the first beats of the (many) drums, your hips start to shake un- or controllably and a stream of electricity spirals around your body enveloping it in an almost sensual pleasure. At least that’s my experience (from London, which doesn’t count, and Mangueira last year in Rio). Apparently, those rehearsals can be greater fun that the parade itself, as they allow for a more hands-on participation. Well, I can’t compare, knowing only one side, and I definitely do not intend to have my hands on anybody...

Number three: blocos of street carnival. This is getting boring. In the weeks preceding the carnival, revellers can join dozens of street parties, less ostentatiously glamorous and more relaxed than the samba schools. Well, what can I say. I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and if you happen to be in São Paulo, you can join me:

http://www.timeout.com.br/sao-paulo/en/aroundtown/events/569/academicos-do-baixo-augusta

Number four: the beach. Finally changed the topic. What?? You still haven’t been to one?! Don’t ask. Let’s just say it wasn’t my priority. No bikini shots planned either.

Number five: anything that springs up and is worth my time (and money). I really don’t want to bore you with my never-ending wishlist.

*Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí or simply Sambadrome where all the samba school parade at the carnival in Rio.

** singers singing samba enredo – the carnival theme song