Study Abroad Blog | Blogging From Abroad

2 Mar

I did not know the meaning of crowded before this week. Having never lived in a large city before, I still have a hard time conceiving where all these people come from. My neighborhood has been generally very calm and quiet, but Carnaval rolled around and suddenly thousands of people appeared on my street. For several days, it seemed like everyone in the city was on the streets dancing and enjoying life.

The blocos that I talked about in the last post comprised a large part of my Carnaval activities, but these were all much bigger and more energized than the ones earlier in the month. I went to the Banda de Ipanema bloco, which is said to be the original Rio de Janeiro street parade. It originated in 1965 as a mostly impromptu march around the neighborhood that ended over 500 people strong. Now, thousands gather to watch and join in the event. It has become a haven for all of Rio’s most interesting characters; any ideas you have about what Carnaval is were probably typified there. I decided to wade in and march with the mass; the best way I can describe it is ‘suffocatingly close.’ I didn’t move by my own accord, rather I was carried along by the throng of revelers. It was certainly something to experience.

Now, the real highlight of my Carnaval was THE samba parade. The main event of this celebration, the parade is held in a giant open stadium called the Sambadromo. It’s a long street with bleachers and box seats lining it. Over two nights, twelve of the best samba schools in Rio compete to be named the Carnaval Champion. Each school has 80 minutes, thousands of participants, floats, costumes, musicians, and one song to tell a story and prove that they deserve to be named the best. The atmosphere is at times like a major sports match, because people care so much about their favorite school. In short, it was incredible.