This content was published on February 17, 2023 – 7:39 PM February 17, 2023 – 7:39 PM
Rio de Janeiro Feb 17 (EFE).- Music, joy, color and militancy marked the start of the Rio Carnival this Friday, with dozens of comparsas flooding the city’s streets after King Momo officially declared the party open in Brazil had.
Although the blocos (comparsas) have been parading through various corners of the “wonderful city” for three weeks, cariocas and tourists have only until now been able to fully indulge in the rumba on the first of five uninterrupted days of celebration.
This year the party is particularly hot in Rio due to the return of the comparsas after a two-year absence due to the Covid pandemic.
Born out of love for the festival and whose only aim is to make the rumberos dance and sing until the body can take it, these groups are considered the soul and life of the carnival.
Unlike the majestic parades of the Sambadrome, where the most prominent samba “escolas” put on an unprecedented show that audiences have to pay for, the “blocos” are free and guarantee fun anywhere in the city.
NUNS WITHOUT A HABIT AND FIGHTERS
Among the comparsas who paraded the streets of Rio on Friday afternoon, the “bloco” of Las Carmelitas stood out for its political tone.
The well-known and traditional “nuns” left the costume at home and donned red and white caps to indulge in the temptations of dancing in the picturesque Santa Teresa neighborhood in the city centre.
It was a parade dedicated to rebirth and rebuilding after four years of “darkness and pandemic,” as its founder Alvanisio Damasceno pointed out when presenting the tune days ago.
Without mentioning the name of the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), who lost the elections to the progressive Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the samba sung this year was an ode to diversity, happiness and hope.
The progressive left’s red was the dominant color of the parade, where phrases like “It’s time for rejoicing”, “Democracy is on its feet” echoed incessantly to the rhythm of the drums.
The tune also evoked the ex-president’s millionaire spending with the company card at a bakery, his passion for condensed milk, and even the jam that Shakira spotted Piqué’s treason for. “Ah, but every day he spent 9,000 reais ($1,730) at the bakery. Was it condensed milk or Shakira’s jam?” EFE
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