“Let’s shake out the last reef for the day. Hopefully we will catch two more hours of carnival.” Sorin goes, putting the sailing speed in a new perspective – a currency for fun!
On arrival, the carnival processions and party throngs were in full swing. Music blared out, shaking rhythms fighting one other for dominance, to eventually harmonise in a frenzy of joy, dance, colour and lights.
Blood was hitting up. Veins were expanding. We were dying to join the crowds. Hold your horses, tiger! We will be joining in, but not just yet.
We made landfall in Recife, the capital of Pernambuco State, late in the evening. We needed to put Mehalah to bed and check in before being able to join the party.
The following day, as soon as the formalities were complete, we took to the streets. Olinda for the day, Recife for the night.
Dating back to ancient Greek and Roman rituals, nowadays the Carnival is celebrated differently around the world. In Brazil carnival is culture. The 5 formal carnival days extend far beyond, with carnivalesque type events throughout the year.
Attracting large crowds, the ‘carnaval brasileiro’ is not an event for people, but a people’s event. It feels like a huge stradal party where everyone – adults and children alike – plays the part, by dressing up or undressing to join in street parades, dancing, singing and generally being merry!
Although the Brazilian carnival is all glitter, music, dance, costumes, lights, colours, confetti and fireworks it seems to be rooted, and to the day, trying to raise awareness of deep social inequities. This is the carnival’s dark side that is hard to be picked up by foreign onlookers like ourselves, unless you are curious to ask ‘what does this mean?’ to find out that the participant in question is parading a sign, displaying a social message.
The Carnivals of Recife and neighbouring Olinda in Pernambuco State of Northern Brazil is the vibrant expression of these contrasting towns shared heritage with riotous street festivities on salsa, the local frevo and other lively northern Brazilian rhythms.
Recife opens the Carnival with its very large Rooster of Dawn mascot (Galo de Madrugada) symbolising the early morning hours of the celebration. Essentially, it’s the “Dawn Rooster” of the carnival. Surely in an attempt to raise awareness of people’s impact on the environment, this year’s rooster – named the Ecological Citizen Rooster of Carnival – is 32 meters tall, weighs 8 tons, and is entirely made of recycled material.
The opening act of the carnival in Olinda, the neighbouring small town recognised for its colonial architecture and cultural heritage is a parade of giant puppets. These are alegoric representations of concepts or popular local and international figures.
The traditional Afro-Brazilian representations, the Midnight Man (Homem da Meia Noite) and the Noon Woman (Mulher do Meio Dia) are 4 m tall weighing 45 kg kalungas. The name of the Afro – Brazilian communities in Brazil, Kalunga refers to the threshold between worlds – life/death, physical/spiritual, sea/sky, etc. It can also mean the God of the Sea!
Home to traditional carnival parties across Brazil, both Olinda and Recife compete for the title of the biggest carnival in the world. Displaying a unique contrast between old colonial colourful streets and the new grey skyscrapers, Olinda and Recife are a striking antithesis.
Throughout the carnivalesque day and night, despite an advanced level of nudity on display, there wasn’t a hint of perverted sexual energy. This translated in the most relaxed atmosphere. We’ve seen couples passionately kissing for quite a long while, sexless sexiness being the rule of the day. There were no masks or allegorical carts, but processions of all sorts, including of religious nature. Truly utopic!
The carnival proceedings were unfolding in the most natural way. There was no feeling of vulgar. Nothing felt like too much. No judgement. No tension. No aggression. Just boundless ‘alegria’. Bands playing would send people in a dancing frenzy. We witnessed some unique and unforgettable dancing moves, a good reflection of the Afro-Latin American and European heritage that make up today’s Brazil.
The only downside of the crowded event, along with the scorching heat, was the constant awareness of theft risk. Everyone was making an effort to protect their purposefully limited belongings. Waist pouches were a norm. And if you didn’t fancy wearing one, you would stick your mobile phone right inside your nickers, like one of the female party goers did!
With all the surrounding rhythms you would think that Brazilians are loud people. This would not be a correct assumption. Brazilian are happy and lively by nature, but they are not loud.
All in all, the Brazilian carnivals of Pernambuco State, along with our entire Brazilian adventure, were special and definitely worth the thousands nautical miles sailing to reach Brazil.