{"id":1971,"date":"2016-02-11T17:53:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T23:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=1971"},"modified":"2019-07-29T13:10:18","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T18:10:18","slug":"carnaval-in-sao-luis-maranhao-february-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=1971","title":{"rendered":"Carnival in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, Maranh\u00e3o, February 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\u00a0\n

An earlier post compares the Carnival in Rio with that in the smaller cities and the interior.\u00a0 This post shows some elements of the Carnival period in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, the capital of Maranh\u00e3o.\u00a0 It is not even remotely complete since much of the period was spent in the interior.<\/p>\n

However, Maranh\u00e3o has a wide range of cultural activity \u2014 carro\u00e7as<\/em> (floats), samba groups, blocos<\/em> with African and indigenous identity, and a myriad of ad hoc groups that celebrate in the streets.<\/p>\n

The celebration begins in the streets on weekends almost directly after the last celebrations of Christmas.\u00a0 Actually, they overlap so that the ritual of queima da palinha<\/em> (see earlier posts) and many celebrations in the Afro-Brazilian spiritual houses overlap both seasons.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"IMG_8309\" — Flag of the group Fuzileiros da Fuzirca.<\/em> This is one of the blocos<\/em>\u00a0that take to the streets during the pre-Carnival season. They are marching groups with heavy percussion, accompanied by singing and sometimes dancing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8356\"$ <\/a>
Fuzileiros<\/em>, young and older<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8375\"$ <\/a>
The street popcorn vendor,\u00a0 a bloco<\/em> and the street crowd in downtown (centro) S\u00e3o Luis are in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8568\"$ <\/a>
The \u201cFuzileiros\u201d carncval bloco <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8619\"$ <\/a>
The Carnival bloco<\/em> \u201cVampires\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8592\"$ <\/a>
Vampire<\/em>, spreading its wings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8601\"$ <\/a>
Vampire<\/em> bloco<\/em> costumes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1788\"$ <\/a>
The day after the parade.\u00a0 These are floats and detritus left over the morning after the passarella\/parade, which, like Rio, is held on a paved runway between two grandstands.\u00a0 Performance is competitive and heavily supported with sound systems and timing lights so the groups can keep to their time limit (which, in Maranh\u00e3o, is an aspiration that is far from reality).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1791\"$ <\/a>
These were glamorous props yesterday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1794\"$ <\/a>
Float, or carro\u00e7a.<\/em> These are nothing like the floats in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, but are nevertheless expensive in a small city in a bad economy.
<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1800\"$ <\/a>
A darker carro\u00e7a<\/em> theme, perhaps from watching the film \u201cOrfeo Negro\u201d (Black Orpheus<\/em> in English).\u00a0 This voodoo\/macumba evocation is unusual in Maranh\u00e3o because such related practices are protected as religions and practiced widely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1815\"$ <\/a>
The remains of the passarela <\/em>have their own sad beauty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1830\"$ <\/a>
Parade of the \u201cIndio blocos\u201d \u2014 parade\/performance groups that invoke indigenous themes.\u00a0 The costumes are actually more evocative of the dancers in the Rio de Janeiro Carnaval<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1838\"$ <\/a>
\u201cIndio bloco\u201d performer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1870\"$ <\/a>
The \u201cAfro blocos\u201d have a much longer history in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds and generally provide a more elaborate performance. They perform both on the streets and in this organized parade\/passarella.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Here they are on the long runway between two set of stands for crowds (mimicking the practice in Rio).\u00a0 In Rio the groups parade for at least nine hours, filling the night and broadcast live throughout Brazil.\u00a0 Not so here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 An earlier post compares the Carnival in Rio with that in the smaller cities and the interior.\u00a0 This post shows some elements of the Carnival period in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, the capital of Maranh\u00e3o.\u00a0 It is not even remotely complete since much of the period was spent in the interior. However, Maranh\u00e3o has a wide … Continue reading Carnival in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, Maranh\u00e3o, February 2016<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-folk-culture-and-spiritual-practice-in-maranhao-brazil"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1971"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2022,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971\/revisions\/2022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Flag of the group Fuzileiros da Fuzirca.<\/em> This is one of the blocos<\/em>\u00a0that take to the streets during the pre-Carnival season. They are marching groups with heavy percussion, accompanied by singing and sometimes dancing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8356\"$ <\/a>
Fuzileiros<\/em>, young and older<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8375\"$ <\/a>
The street popcorn vendor,\u00a0 a bloco<\/em> and the street crowd in downtown (centro) S\u00e3o Luis are in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8568\"$ <\/a>
The \u201cFuzileiros\u201d carncval bloco <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8619\"$ <\/a>
The Carnival bloco<\/em> \u201cVampires\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8592\"$ <\/a>
Vampire<\/em>, spreading its wings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_8601\"$ <\/a>
Vampire<\/em> bloco<\/em> costumes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1788\"$ <\/a>
The day after the parade.\u00a0 These are floats and detritus left over the morning after the passarella\/parade, which, like Rio, is held on a paved runway between two grandstands.\u00a0 Performance is competitive and heavily supported with sound systems and timing lights so the groups can keep to their time limit (which, in Maranh\u00e3o, is an aspiration that is far from reality).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1791\"$ <\/a>
These were glamorous props yesterday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1794\"$ <\/a>
Float, or carro\u00e7a.<\/em> These are nothing like the floats in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, but are nevertheless expensive in a small city in a bad economy.
<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1800\"$ <\/a>
A darker carro\u00e7a<\/em> theme, perhaps from watching the film \u201cOrfeo Negro\u201d (Black Orpheus<\/em> in English).\u00a0 This voodoo\/macumba evocation is unusual in Maranh\u00e3o because such related practices are protected as religions and practiced widely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1815\"$ <\/a>
The remains of the passarela <\/em>have their own sad beauty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1830\"$ <\/a>
Parade of the \u201cIndio blocos\u201d \u2014 parade\/performance groups that invoke indigenous themes.\u00a0 The costumes are actually more evocative of the dancers in the Rio de Janeiro Carnaval<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1838\"$ <\/a>
\u201cIndio bloco\u201d performer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
$\"IMG_1870\"$ <\/a>
The \u201cAfro blocos\u201d have a much longer history in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds and generally provide a more elaborate performance. They perform both on the streets and in this organized parade\/passarella.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Here they are on the long runway between two set of stands for crowds (mimicking the practice in Rio).\u00a0 In Rio the groups parade for at least nine hours, filling the night and broadcast live throughout Brazil.\u00a0 Not so here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 An earlier post compares the Carnival in Rio with that in the smaller cities and the interior.\u00a0 This post shows some elements of the Carnival period in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, the capital of Maranh\u00e3o.\u00a0 It is not even remotely complete since much of the period was spent in the interior. However, Maranh\u00e3o has a wide … Continue reading Carnival in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, Maranh\u00e3o, February 2016<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-folk-culture-and-spiritual-practice-in-maranhao-brazil"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1971"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2022,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971\/revisions\/2022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}