Carnival Rio de Janeiro

Rio Carnival Introduction

Throughout the colonial period, though diversions occurred in Rio de Janeiro, the activities of the carnival did not differ from those in other Brazilian towns.

A whole series of games, together under the term Shrovetide, could be found in the streets and houses in the city. At the end of the eighteenth century, the entertainment consisted basically in the mutual launching of the smell of lemons (inside the houses) or any other liquids or powders (in the streets).

After the Independence of Brazil, the Carioca elite decided to depart from the past Lusitanian culture and enhance the approach to the new capitalist powers. The city and culture imported the parameters of Paris to guide the fashions and ways to be.

The Carnival as it was celebrated in the French capital is one of the elements of influence, making the revelry of Rio de Janeiro fast forward to the masked dances of the Parisians.

Initially promoted or encouraged by dancing societies that existed in the city (such as Constant Polka) these dances ultimately were supplanted by public dances, such as the famous ballet of the Teatro San Januario promoted by Clara Delmastro, in 1846.

Encouraged by the great success of the dances, other forms of entertainment, such as walks or promenades, sprang up.  These promenades modelled the then almost extinct Roman carnival. The idea was to go to the dances in open carriages and seduce the bourgeoisie, this being an opportunity to display their costumes to the rich people and “civilize” the carnival to feature ‘Shrovetide’.

The people watching Rio dazzled at such elegantly masked parades, however, the welcome escape of the smell of lemons was absent. The tension arising from this carnavalesco clash would make the elite seek increasingly to organize their trips by assembling a large number of coaches, and the presence of ostensive policing was incorporated into the parades.

Gradually these promenades acquired a type of independence in relation to the dance.  In 1855 a group of notable citizens organized what became known as the first company float in the carnival of a Brazilian city.  The parade of the Congress led the Carnival.

The success of this event opened the door for the emergence of dozens of companies that, in a few years, competed with each other for the narrow space of the city center during the days of Carnival.

However, promenades by the fabulous carnival bourgeoisie did not reign alone on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Alongside the move to implement a civilized party, other entertainment took shape in the city. The Shrovetide, with its disorganized and spontaneous joy was not the only popular carnival fun. Many black groups of Conga (or Congo) and Cucumber took advantage of the opportunity by prevailing on the police for permission to perform. In addition, other groups ranging from the poor, to small traders and freed black Portuguese (later known as Ze Pereira) felt encouraged, joining the walk in the streets.