Brazilian carnaval has its origin in the old Portuguese pre-Lent celebration known as the entrudo. People celebrated by throwing little balls of wax filled with perfumed water - and sometimes other liquids, as well...- at each other. Anyone could be a victim of the celebrants: it is said that in the midst of the revelry the Emperor Dom Pedro II was once thrown into a water tank! But carnaval as it came to be celebrated in Rio de Janeiro started with the first masked ball in 1840. In 1850 there was the first procession with adorned floats, and after 1856 costumed revelers began taking to the streets in great numbers. The first cord⌡es (groups of all male revelers) were formed in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1837, a Christmas rancho (a group of men and women representing shepherds going to Bethlehem) started another tradition by joining the carnaval celebrations.
Carnaval Music
Until 1899 no songs were written expressly for carnaval, and people danced to music of European inspiration with the exception of the cord⌡es which often paraded to Afro-Brazilian rhythms. It was in that year that Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935) wrote the marchinha "O Abre Alas" (Make Way) for the group Rosa de Ouro, incorporating one of those rhythms. The marchinha (little marching song, literally) was the perfect musical formula to which the crowds could move in an organized fashion.
In 1917 the samba appeared officially with the recording of Pelo Telefone (On the Telephone). From its origins the new genre was closely linked to carnaval. Stimulated by radio a whole generation of carnaval composers appeared after 1920 and these would be responsible for all the great marchinhas and sambas that continue to be popular today.
These marchinhas were vehicles to eulogize women and to criticize politicians and certain aspects of Brazilian life and mores. The lyrics were printed in pamphlets or booklets and distributed to the public in the months before carnaval so everyone could learn them by heart. In these early days carnaval was a time of genuine fun for adults and children alike. There were automobile parades downtown Rio, with tons of paper confetti and streamers, and people went to the beach in elaborate paper costumes.
Fortunately it is still possible to enjoy street carnaval with the groups called blocos or bandas that are followed by thousands in the neighborhoods of Rio. Some of these have whimsical or humorous names like Sovaco do Cristo (Christ's Armpit, because participants live in the area under the famous statue of Christ) or Simpatia ╔ Quase Amor (Sympathy Is Almost Love) from Ipanema.
My Simpatia ╔ Quase Amor t-shirt, 1993. Lyrics are still printed and distributed as leaflets. The escolas de samba
The first escolas de samba were founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1928 (the short-lived Deixa Falar) and in 1929 (Estaτπo Primeira de Mangueira). These were neighborhood groups of blacks and mulattos who wanted to make music and parade during carnaval. The name school apparently has to do with the fact that there was a real school nearby.
The first escola de samba left as its legacy the introduction of the very large beat-marking drums. In 1935 this parade was officially recognized by the government. In the same year a group of sambistas (samba composers) founded Portela, the most innovative of the original group of escolas. It introduced themes, floats, the comissπo de frente (front commission, usually the most honorable personalities of the escola) and the separation of the public from the parading dancers.
In the last few decades, the parade has become the greatest attraction of carnaval in Brazil and decidedly luxurious and gigantic. Some schools parade with over 4,000 participants and more than 300 percussionists. Every school has a theme and a samba (called the samba-enredo, or theme song) and is divided in alas or units with huge decorated floats in between. The most important individuals are the porta-bandeira (female flag-bearer) and the mestre-sala (the male master of ceremonies, who accompanies her). The puxador de samba or main singer stands on the sound float and sings the theme song while his/her school parades, usually for about 90 minutes.
