Brazilian Carnival – Part 2.

Episode 2 – Carnival for beginners.

Carnival is a popular celebration related to fun and, sometimes, some excess. It has an explanation: in the beginning, when Brazil was a Catholic country, Carnival was the opportunity people had to do whatever they wanted before Lent (a period of austerity and privations). Carnival happens 47 days before Easter. Some people really drink too much and exaggerate in every sense, during Carnival, but I believe that the most of people look for fun, especially nowadays. Believe it or not, Brazilian people are getting serious! I believe that Carnival is mostly about music, dance and party! Of course, the opportunity you have to flirt and live a romance grows exponentially during Carnival, but it must be because of the atmosphere .

Many people still believe that Brazil stops all its activities during Carnival and this is not true! Actually, there’s only one holiday: Tuesday. Terça-feira de Carnaval. The parties start before, all over the country, but the only holiday is Tuesday! Theoretically, me, my brother and friends should work tomorrow (Monday), but … well … we won’t! We won’t because we are not obligated to do it! Some people are! A lot of people! So, forget the idea that everybody is partying on the streets. Even on Tuesday, some people will work!

There are many ways to celebrate Carnival, in Brazil. Let’s take a look at the main ones:

Blocos de Carnaval:

Probably, the most democratic way to celebrate Carnival, in Brazil! There are some traditional groups of people who party on the streets during Carnival. They do everything according to rules, I mean, every bloco de Carnaval must be authorized by the mayor or governor to party on the streets and they must have a route with a beginning and end and a duration! The blocos are democratic because people can join the members and party, too! Sometimes, the result is like this:

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Thousands of people! This is Bola Preta, one of the most traditional blocos de Carnaval of Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro! This is a recent picture, the party happened yesterday. As you can see, there are police cars and ambulances in the middle of the street, too. And there’s a big truck, but you can’t see it. On the top of this truck, singers and bands sing and play traditional Carnival songs. I would like to join a bloco, someday, it must be funny! People seem relaxed in this picture and it generally happens, in the street Carnival! Nobody is obligated to dress a costume. Nobody is obligated to look like a celebrity. There are blocos all over the country, even in São Paulo, but some of them are very small!

Carnaval dos trios elétricos:

Trio elétrico literally means electric trio and I honestly don’t know why do the shows in Bahia (and other Brazilian states) have this name! Trios elétricos are nothing but big trucks with the necessary structure for a show, which run the streets of a city, during Carnival (especially in Bahia) and are followed by thousands of people. They are not exactly like the blocos. The most famous Brazilian and international artists perform on the top of the truck, so, it’s a commercial event. The music is also different. Bahia has its own type of Carnival music, called axé. It’s complicated to me to talk about axé, because I used to love it in the beginning, but nowadays the music style became something completely meaningless, commercial and, sometimes, disgusting . I’ll show you the good axé. This is Margareth Menezes, one of our Carnival goddesses, from Bahia:

Margareth Menezes – Toté de Maiangá:

The music in Bahia is more or less like this, with this rhythm (but not exactly with this quality). This woman below is Ivete Sangalo, one of the most famous Carnival queens of Bahia. The media loves her and she’s very successful:

 

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This is a recent picture. The Carnival in Bahia started on Friday, February 8.

This time even the South-Korean Psy (Mr. Gangnam Style) sung his hit on the top of a truck in Salvador (capital of Bahia, the greatest Carnival city of the state)! I would upload the video, but it’s something embarrassing to me, I get ashamed to be Brazilian sometimes, so, if you are curious to watch Psy singing Gangnam Style (actually, he’s not exactly singing, he’s doing a duet with the playback) in Salvador, take a look at YouTube! I am not responsible for future traumas!!!!

Bailes de Carnaval (Carnival Balls):

Private parties where people dance all night long in costume or not. I don’t know a famous ball, so, I can’t upload a picture. But Carnival balls are famous all over the world, so, I believe you don’t need more explanations, my dear reader!

Desfiles de Carnaval (Carnival Parades):

Yes, the most famous Brazilian celebrations! The most commercial, too. Huge amounts of money are spent every single year to make the parades possible! Where does the money come from? I honestly don’t know. Every year, hundreds of subcelebridades fight for a place in a parade. But the places are very expensive. Nothing in a parade happens for free, dear reader! No matter if a parade happens in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, it’s hard to find a genuine one nowadays, unfortunately! They’re still beautiful and colorful shows and I promise to upload some videos tomorrow, but, let’s face the truth: the Carnival parades are not a popular celebration. The costumes are extremely expensive and the communities involved (people from the favelas) don’t receive the recognition they deserve. I know how beautiful the parades can be. I know that they represent my country somehow. But, sorry, they are not a popular celebration! Anyways, they are organized by escolas de samba (samba schools). Every year, a school chooses a theme. Everything in the parade is related to the theme: the samba enredo (a type of anthem that people sing all over the parade), the different groups of characters and the Carnival floats. It’s something complex, actually. But I have no time to say everything about it, right now . As you already know, I’m not alone at home. My friends are here. We need to eat something and have some fun! This is just a brief introduction. If you have some specific question, please, leave a comment and I’ll try to reply it the best way I can in a few days! Now I think I have the right to enjoy my Carnival, too! But I’ll return tomorrow, with some music !

Stay tuned! I’ll be back! Have a very nice week!

Luna

P.S.: Do you believe that I didn’t find a decent picture of a Carnival parade to paste here?!

 

Brazilian Carnival – Part 1.

Hello

How are you? Here I am, again, still sleepy . I was taking a nap. A few seconds ago, I realized that my brother and friends had the same idea. I was the first to get up, as ever … In a few minutes, I’ll wake up the boys (it seems they won’t wake up by themselves …). Now, I need to write something! It’s Carnival Here I am in my Storm (X-Men) costume! … Actually, I’m wearing short pants and an oversized sweater. I’m at home, dear reader! It’s a cloudy and rainy day, it seems that my beloved city refuses to join the most important national celebration! I decided to write posts related to Carnival until next Tuesday (February 12). This is the first episode of a short series. I hope you enjoy!

Episode 1 – The peculiar relationship that people from São Paulo have with Carnival:

It’s always funny to hear foreigners talking about our Carnival. They seem far more excited than us! *lol* I always hear or read many questions related to our traditions and will try to answer them properly in the next days. But, it seems that the international media gives to people from all over the world the impression that every single person in Brazil celebrates Carnival, dancing, jumping, singing (and drinking) on the streets, or participating in a parade, in costume! Well … this is far to be true! … Are you shocked, my dear reader? Shall I call a doctor? There, there … It’s ok! Of course, there are many many people involved in the celebrations, but São Paulo, for instance, is a peculiar city when it comes to Carnival. We have Carnival balls, parades, blocos de Carnaval (groups of people who party on the streets), traditional samba schools. But … at least the most of the middle class population doesn’t care at all about Carnival! Yesterday, I laughed a lot , because all the comments I’ve heard about Carnival, from my friends, my brother’s classmates, etc., were like:

“ – I love Carnival! I’ll sleep for four days!”

“ – I love Carnival, because the city is empty, there’s less people outside and I can sleep!”

“ – Yes, Carnival! I’ll sleep so much! …”

It seems that we have a sleepy holiday right here! Maybe we should change the traditions, somehow. We should have pajama parties instead of Carnival balls, nap contests instead of costume contests (maybe pajama contests?),bed exhibitions instead of parades! Hey! It would be different, we would attract many tourists this way!

I don’t know why does it happen. Rio de Janeiro and Salvador (Bahia) are Carnival cities. Not São Paulo. It doesn’t mean that we are boring. First of all, São Paulo is less sunny than Rio and Salvador. In the beginning, my beloved city was known as São Paulo da garoa (São Paulo of the drizzle), because of the constant drizzles! Work means a lot, here. Maybe this rush and need of self-affirmation through work comes from the History of the city. São Paulo was abandoned for centuries, in the beginning. The work of people made the city. People here didn’t have time or conditions to play guitar and sing and look at a beautiful sunrise. We will always be known as the workers (and neurotic people) of Brazil! Life here is hard. There’s the traffic jams, the public transportation, the crowded places, the endless queues, the stressful routine at work. When the most of people here have some spare time, they sleep. Or travel. But I don’t know people who have travelled this time. We all are at home.

The most of people here don’t have a connection with samba schools or something. I can dance samba, I really like samba, actually! And it’s funny, because I’m a mixed woman, have cinnamon skin and long curly hair, so, it seems that people think I have the obligation to participate in a Carnival parade! *lol* I’ve heard a thousand times: “You should be there, in costume, dancing!” Well … maybe. If I wasn’t shy . I like to dance samba at home, at private parties, sometimes at the disco. But I wasn’t raised in an environment where Carnival means a lot. Anyways, São Paulo has its own type of samba. There are different types of samba and I will write a post about it. The master of samba in São Paulo is Adoniran Barbosa. He’s lovely and funny and his lyrics are a nice description of this weird city. Adoniran shows, for instance, the great connection we all have with the Italians! The way we speak Portuguese is influenced by Italian (even if I know that there are many dialects in Italy, so, there are many ways to speak Italian). So, I’ve chosen a song, to end this post, called Samba Italiano (Italian Samba). It’s a hit of Adoniran Barbosa, a very cute and funny samba, sung in Italian. You will see that it’s very different from the samba of the Carnival parades. And it’s very paulistano.

That’s all for today, folks! Stay tuned. Other posts wil … zzzzzzzzzz

Luna

A taste of cockroach.

** Warning: do not read this post if you are eating or have just eaten! Unless you like to eat cockroaches. If you like to eat cockroaches, please GET OUT OF MY BLOG!**

**One more warning: if you don’t have sense of humour, don’t read this post! **

Chocolate. The delight made of cocoa. The gift offered to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, god of knowledge and wisdom. Actually, the gift offered to Quetzalcoatl (the guy in costume below) was a bitter drink made of cocoa seeds, water and pepper.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Quetzalcoatl.svg/200px-Quetzalcoatl.svg.png

The chocolate as we know it is an European invention! A mix of cocoa butter (by the way, did you know that, in Brazil, the cocoa butter is also a lip balm?), cocoa mass, sugar, milk, nuts, etc. and cockroaches! What? You think I wrote something wrong? No, actually. You know the crispness of some chocolate bars? Crushed cockroaches! Hey, don’t look at me this way, it’s just a little bit of protein! (I would love to see your face right now, dear reader! As we use to laugh on internet here in Brazil: huahuahuahuahua!!!!) According to a news I read a few minutes ago, there are cockroach parts in chocolate bars from the United States! This is not a relief to me, because the food industry is something you can’t trust also in Brazil! You can find the news, here. It’s a news from March 2012, but I read the Brazilian version of it, today, on Yahoo. These paragraphs are especially creepy:

According to ABC News, the average chocolate bar contains eight insect parts. Anything less than 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate (two chocolate bars' worth) is deemed safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration.

Allergists say most foods contain natural contaminants. Aside from chocolate, cockroach parts also make their way into peanut butter, macaroni, fruit, cheese, popcorn and wheat. The roach bits can affect people with asthma, as well causing migraines, cramps, itching or hives in people who are allergic to them.

Isn’t it amazing? Is there a cockroach in your chocolate or a chocolate in your cockroach, dear reader? Believe me: it doesn’t happen only in the US! As I told you before, the food industry is something creepy! The truth is that almost everybody doesn’t know where do the food comes from! If people had this knowledge, they probably would think twice before to buy some foods. I confess I’m a little paranoid about food. My apetite is close to zero and I’m a vegetarian, so, I think it helps me to be away from industrialized food. But I fear almost everything! I’m not fond of sweets (I’m serious!), but I have some weakness for chocolate. I don’t eat chocolate often, but can’t imagine my life without it, for now. So, of course I feel terrible to know that maybe there’s a cockroach in my chocolate! I remember that a girl from my country found a dead rat (I said A RAT!) inside of a Ruffles pack! I don’t eat junk food, but can imagine the situation … nobody deserves it!

The funny (or terrible) thing about the news is that “allergists say most food contain natural contaminants”. What does it mean? Should we accept cockroach parts in our chocolate? Is it natural to find a dead rat inside of a Ruffles pack? Shall we act normally if we find an alien finger in our piece of cake? I love the explanations of the specialists! Are there limits to “natural contaminants” in our food? I hope so!

The fact is that the food industry doesn’t give a damn about you or me! They want money. They don’t give a damn if the food they sell, full of chemical products, genetically modified organisms and cockroaches is generating nations of obese and sick people! Recently I watched a Brazilian documentary called Muito Além do Peso (Way Beyond Weight), about the obesity epidemic in KIDS! Due to the terrible industrialized food, the fast food restaurants (there is one McDonald’s in each corner of the main streets of São Paulo! There is more than one McDonald’s only in Avenida Paulista!) and the aggressive propaganda, there are kids who have the weight of an adult! I heard about a 10 year-old girl who has 3 kg less than me and I’m a 32 year-old woman! So … it’s not surprising to find insects in food. The food industry doesn’t care about you! That’s why I think we all should know how to cook. At least, we can have some control about what feeds us!

Anyone knows how to make chocolate at home??

Stay tuned! I’ll be back in my Carnival outfit.

Luna

Meio desligada.

I swear I tried to think about something interesting to write today! There are so many subjects in this world! And many things happen everyday in Brazil. We’re getting ready to Carnival, for instance. Yes, yes, I promise to write something about it! It would be an epic fail to miss such an important event! But … I couldn’t work right today, I just can’t think about duties! I’m not here … My mind is somewhere away from here . I’m desligada (off, in a literal translation. But the word desligado – or desligada, for women – means distracted) . Don’t worry: I’m fine . I just can’t focus on  anything but … well … nevermind . So, I’ve chosen a song, which describes this state of mind or mood: Meio desligado (A little distracted). The original version is from Mutantes, a legendary Brazilian rock band. But, this video is a version of a band from Minas Gerais, called Pato Fu. They’re funny and Fernanda Takai, the vocalist, has a very sweet and cute voice. I had a conversation with her, once, she’s very very nice! Enjoy, dear readers! I hope to be back to this planet tomorrow …

Luna

Meio Desligado (Mutantes/Pato Fu) Ando meio desligado Eu nem sinto meus pés no chão Olho e não vejo nada Eu só penso se você me quer Eu nem vejo a hora de lhe dizer Aquilo tudo que eu decorei E depois, o beijo que eu já sonhei Você vai sentir, mas … Por favor, não leve a mal Eu só quero que você me queira Não leve a mal Não leve a mal …

A little distracted I’ve been a little distracted I not even feel my feet on the ground I look around and see nothing I only think (wonder) if you want me I can’t wait to tell you All I memorized And then, the kiss I’ve already dreamed of You will feel it, but … Please, don’t get me wrong I just want you to want me Don’t get me wrong Don’t get me wrong …

 

Volta às aulas.

OláHow are you doing, today? Hope fine. I’m doing just fine! Today, a lot of students in Brazil are a little depressed, including my brother, who’s an IT student. All of them are or will be back to school! I’m a little sad, because I feel a little lonely at night, while my brother is at college . I spend the whole time doing something or talking to my friends by instant messengers, but I miss my brother’s company! Maybe it sounds strange to some readers, but many schools (high schools), colleges and universities work at night in Brazil. I studied at night for years, during my college times! I worked during the day. By the way, that’s why evening classes exist in Brazil: to the students who work during the day. It’s tiring, exhausting to spend the whole day at work and study at night, but the people who study at night use to be much nicer and funnier! More mature and less spoiled. The lessons are easier, too, there’s less homework to do. Of course, some teachers are less understanding and treat people who study at night like full time students. But they are exceptions!

The return to school has several meanings. First of all, an explanation: there are public and private schools (colleges, universities) in Brazil. The public schools are financed by the government and provide everything to the students (uniforms, school supplies and food) while they are kids. There’s still a sad fact in Brazil, about it: many poor kids go to school because of the food. I worked, as an elementary teacher at public schools and they used to serve two meals (breakfast and lunch) and snacks to the kids. I remember that many kids used to throw food away (and I just hated this behaviour! ), but many kids ate everything, because they couldn’t eat at home. The distribution of resources to public schools is quite unequal. While some schools located near downtown receive a lot of food, school supplies and uniforms, many schools in the suburbs (our suburbs are not like the American ones!) don’t receive not even the necessary. I worked at schools in downtown, so, I could take some apples with me, everyday, to eat them at home (I don’t know why, but the apples of the public schools are delicious!), for instance . The government doesn’t provide everything to teenagers, only food, textbooks, and, sometimes, uniforms. Anyways, the parents of the kids and teens who study at public schools, don’t need to worry that much about spending loads of money. The same doesn’t happen to the parents of the kids and teens who study at private schools! First of all, there’s the monthly payment (public schools, colleges and universities are for free). Then, there’s the uniform and the school supplies list. The school supplies list is a real drama, for the parents! It’s endless and the most of school supplies requested are not used during the year! If you have a little kid, in Brazil, you won’t let him/her study at a public school, if you have a choice, because the quality of teaching is terrible. But the private schools will drain your money! So, the return to school means, to many parents, a little bit of debt. For a change.

To the students, the return to school is good and bad. Good because of the friends and new possibilities (new people to flirt, date, etc.). Bad because of the boring teachers and endless/meaningless lessons. When I was a student, I used to feel very excited about the school supplies list. I studied at a private school when I was a kid and at public schools in my teenage. So, I was free to choose my school supplies when I was a teen! To a person who loves pens, memo papers, pencils, notebooks, it was a dream come true! Me and my friends were proud to show our new acquisitions! I’ve always been a good student, but I’ve never been a nerd! It was quite boring to me to bear the most of the lessons! I learn everything very quickly and like to learn by myself. As I told you before (check this post, here), I’ve always been a rebel at school. When I was studying to become an elementary teacher (my sweetest school memories together with the college ones), I spent whole lessons writing letters to my Italian penpals, drawing, writing the name of the boy I was dating dozens of times on my notebook or talking to my friends. But I was very intelligent, creative and always ready to have useful ideas. The projects of my group were the best of the class and we all were unbearable students! *lol* The bad girls of the class, babe! I’m proud of this . I’ve never been a “good girl”. The good students of my class wanted to kill me and my friends, because we didn’t give a damn about the most of the lessons, but created the best projects! Good old times! Yes, I was a “bad girl” at school.

When I became a teacher (my turn to pay for my sins, as a student), I understood my teachers. All of them, even the most boring of this planet! It’s not easy to teach. I had to deal with dozens of kids and, maybe due to some identification, they were terrible! *lol* Terrible and lovely. Just like me ^^ (he he he he he he …). The return to school, to a teacher, means boring meetings with boring colleagues and a huge anxiety about the students. “Will I manage to teach everything? How many devils will piss me off during the whole year? Will they learn how to read? Will I bear many boring mothers?” So many questions! …Teachers are human beings too. They feel frustrated, tired, unmotivated. To them, schools suck sometimes, too. Think about it, dear reader, if you’re still a student! Your teachers are people like you. Don’t piss them off so often! …

I wouldn’t return to college, if you want to know. I’m satisfied with one diploma. Then, I think I’m a little old for some experiences! I really enjoyed my student life! Anyway, we all know that school wasn’t exactly made to help us to develop our talents. In the most of cases, it’s all about indoctrination. Nowadays, many people are thinking about a better education and I really hope to see students learning useful things at school! Don’t get me wrong: I really believe that people need to study! But want to see students learning more useful things, I want school to be a happy place, where people can find themselves and learn to be tolerant, open-minded, friendly and kind! I’m sure that I wouldn’t be that rebel as a student, if I felt motivated about the subjects! By the way, my favorite subject at school and college has always been Portuguese.

Chega por hoje, meus queridos! This video is about a type of school that I don’t want to see anymore. This song shivers me no matter how many times I listen to it! It’s amazing! Enjoy!

Stay tuned! Other posts will come! Aos meus leitores brasileiros: bom retorno às aulas! Tudo passa … *rs*

Hugs! Talk to you soon!

Luna

Still alive!

Hi people! How’s life?

I’m sorry for my absence! … I wasn’t feeling fine at all on Friday, so, I had no conditions to write a post! There’s a difference between my diary and this blog, if you know what I mean … Fortunately, I have the most lovely friends of this planet and my weekend was very nice! ^^ I know that it’s already Monday, for the most of the readers, but it’s still Sunday in Brazil. I have a lot of things to tell and share, so, stay tuned! This post is just a “Hello!”. I’ll be back tomorrow (I hope). Sometimes things don’t happen according to my plans, but I’m feeling fine, so, I’m almost sure that I’ll write a new and hopefully interesting/funny post tomorrow! I’ll try to do it early in the morning, but can’t promise anything, because … I’m always on the run!

Have a nice week! Thank you so much for your attention! And stay tuned. Other posts will come!

Cheers! ^^

Luna