Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) love to party. Contrary to what I had thought, Carnival is not just the four days, Saturday-Tuesday leading up to ash Wednesday. In addition, the way to best participate in Carnival is not by watching the iconic sequined costume structures sambaing down the avenue but rather participating in the parties on the streets and samba-ing your own jiggles on Rio cobble stones.
Carol and I arrived in Rio Friday morning and heard stories from all the hostel residents and cariocas Carnival had been so fun and partying for five days straight had been exhausting. I fretted that the whole affair had ended.
Friday Rio’s neighbourhood of Lapa hosted a gigantic music fest with a samba bandstand, reggae corner, and clubs with funke (a music motivating “pornographic dancing”) or techno pouring out. (Note that places with funke were advised against as favela citizens could be there which apparently implied anything could happen.) Thousands of people filled the streets to dance to a beat of their flavor. The night also took a stroll through any street urchin movie when Carol turned to me: “watch yourself, there is a group of little boys are following us”. Though unable to lose the boys Carol kept her purse as she clutched it despite the inevitable jerk.
Saturday we had to decide between dinner at a café and a street-by-the-beach party which was revving up. People wearing swimsuits and or silly carnival costume accessories congealed into a crowd which filled the avenue and spilled onto the beach and even through the block onto the adjacent avenue. Refreshment stands and hawkers moved from the beach onto the avenue as music filled the air. Of course, some people had to miss this party as they had bought tickets to a parade of the winners of the Carnival Samba parade which was to last 9pm-3am.
[Carol and I went back to rest at the hostel for an hour or two while deciding what to do. Lacking sleep, I woke up to my hostel neighbors packing and the curtains edged with a glow. Carol was still out.]
Those who imagine that the Sunday morning after 10 days of street partying might be languid, are wrong. The party started officially at 8am but I can not confirm that it waited that long to get going. A stage was mounted on a truck which moved along the avenue wounding through the consulates-turned-embassies. The numbers have yet to come in for 2010 but last year this after Carnival party attracted 500,000.
Astounded I have surveyed many Cariocas: Didn’t Carnival end Tuesday? Their response? “Oh well, yes and no. This is still Carnival!!!! It is really sad to see Carnival end as it’s just too much fun; we don’t want it to end!”
I think one must have to be born in Rio or at least Brazil for it to be physically possible to endure such hardcore partying. I’m exhausted and my dancing shoes might be worn out. The really nice thing about the parties here is that everyone is dancing everywhere and all the time. The party is not hard core from substance abuse but from high energy dancing in heat and moderate alcohol over many consecutive days. There is a lot of alcohol but it is not just about getting drunk; it is about fun and that doesn’t need alcohol.
The stories of drunk Brazilian males are not myths. My experience is that Brazilians are extremely warm, perhaps the most affable people. However, if you take the warmth and remove more inhibition with alcohol, Orianna starts giving very nasty looks, dancing away with Carol, and enjoying her lack of fluency in Portuguese.
After living in the States I thought Canada could party and I saw potential in Ireland after my visit. However, I have never seen another country party with the fervour of Brazil. Perhaps I should visit India?
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