Page 90 iGap Travel Guide 2022
P. 90
iGap Travel Guide | The Americas
90
YOUR GUIDE TO
THE RIO CARNIVAL
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival upholds its enviable
position as the biggest carnival celebration on
the planet and a bucket-list centrepiece for party
people worldwide. Rambunctious festivities light
up all corners of the city for an official celebration
spanning four days, which unofficially tends to last
around four weeks, starting early and finishing late.
Samba parades, street parties and masquerade balls
paint Rio scarlet red from February onwards. With
more than two million people attending each year,
the Rio Carnival is the best chance at immersing
yourself in the rich cultural traditions that
transforms Rio de Janeiro– leaving you culturally
enlightened and likely horrendously hungover.
The origins of Rio’s cultural cornerstone can be
traced back to Ancient Greece. The Greeks first
crowned the carnival tradition at springtime, in
honour of the wine god Dionysus. The Romans
then adopted the festival in a toast to their saint of
revelry, Bacchus. Since then, the Roman Catholic
Church has remodelled the event into a short public
celebration to precede Lent, which somewhere
along the way evolved into a giant celebration of
mass indulgences.
Brazil’s carnival roots date back to 1723 when
ancestral
Cariocas
(Rio locals) would have mud and
water fights on the city streets. By the 1800s, the
aristocrats wanted in, and added masks, costumes,
and music into the mix. 1840 saw the rise of
masquerade balls in the celebratory form of polkas
and waltzes, where the focus again shifted back to
the working classes.
Afro-Brazilians brought samba to Rio’s slums
following the abolition of slavery, and Samba
schools began to use theatrical satire to express
their indignation toward the Brazilian Government.
By 1917, Samba became a key component of Brazil’s
cultural heritage, and today,
Cariocas
take their
Samba as seriously as they take their football.
KNOW YOUR CARNIVAL
The Sambadrome
Rio’s Sambadrome, or
Sambadromo
(a purpose-built parade
area), is the city’s epicentre of all things samba. The open-
air site is a permanent parade route, lined with concrete
spectator stands, stretching 700m along Avenida Marquês
de Sapucaí. Every night from 9pm onwards, the city’s samba
schools perform 70 to80 minute shows for audiences of
up to 70,000 spectators. Each school chooses a theme
or topic and interprets it in their best flamboyant ability
through mediums of song, theatre and dance. The colourful
competitors typically perform until well into the early
hours, and those who don’t manage to secure tickets can
be seen congregating around Avenida Presidente Vargas
and Rua Frei Caneca, throwing equally vibrant street parties
until early the next morning.
BW Press / Shutterstock.com
Celso Pupo / Shutterstock.com
90
YOUR GUIDE TO
THE RIO CARNIVAL
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival upholds its enviable
position as the biggest carnival celebration on
the planet and a bucket-list centrepiece for party
people worldwide. Rambunctious festivities light
up all corners of the city for an official celebration
spanning four days, which unofficially tends to last
around four weeks, starting early and finishing late.
Samba parades, street parties and masquerade balls
paint Rio scarlet red from February onwards. With
more than two million people attending each year,
the Rio Carnival is the best chance at immersing
yourself in the rich cultural traditions that
transforms Rio de Janeiro– leaving you culturally
enlightened and likely horrendously hungover.
The origins of Rio’s cultural cornerstone can be
traced back to Ancient Greece. The Greeks first
crowned the carnival tradition at springtime, in
honour of the wine god Dionysus. The Romans
then adopted the festival in a toast to their saint of
revelry, Bacchus. Since then, the Roman Catholic
Church has remodelled the event into a short public
celebration to precede Lent, which somewhere
along the way evolved into a giant celebration of
mass indulgences.
Brazil’s carnival roots date back to 1723 when
ancestral
Cariocas
(Rio locals) would have mud and
water fights on the city streets. By the 1800s, the
aristocrats wanted in, and added masks, costumes,
and music into the mix. 1840 saw the rise of
masquerade balls in the celebratory form of polkas
and waltzes, where the focus again shifted back to
the working classes.
Afro-Brazilians brought samba to Rio’s slums
following the abolition of slavery, and Samba
schools began to use theatrical satire to express
their indignation toward the Brazilian Government.
By 1917, Samba became a key component of Brazil’s
cultural heritage, and today,
Cariocas
take their
Samba as seriously as they take their football.
KNOW YOUR CARNIVAL
The Sambadrome
Rio’s Sambadrome, or
Sambadromo
(a purpose-built parade
area), is the city’s epicentre of all things samba. The open-
air site is a permanent parade route, lined with concrete
spectator stands, stretching 700m along Avenida Marquês
de Sapucaí. Every night from 9pm onwards, the city’s samba
schools perform 70 to80 minute shows for audiences of
up to 70,000 spectators. Each school chooses a theme
or topic and interprets it in their best flamboyant ability
through mediums of song, theatre and dance. The colourful
competitors typically perform until well into the early
hours, and those who don’t manage to secure tickets can
be seen congregating around Avenida Presidente Vargas
and Rua Frei Caneca, throwing equally vibrant street parties
until early the next morning.
BW Press / Shutterstock.com
Celso Pupo / Shutterstock.com
