I am up at 5 45 am, Not to catch the golden pink sunrise on Copa, but to attend my first official bloco.I have my morning face on and look far from ready to Samba, but carnaval is here, and I am dying to see how the city is beginning its celebrations.
This popular bloco, called Ceu ne Terra is in the beautiful neighbourhood ,Santa Teresa. Located in a hilly region , this district of Rio de Janeiro has an old world charm, with its winding cobblestone roads and gorgeous views of the city and Guanabara Bay . This place also had Rio’s only tramway which unfortunately wasn’t functional when we went.But it is generally a great area to explore on foot .
We don’t know where this bloco is going to start from but we decide to follow the men with pink wigs . From the looks of it, I can’t tell whether a lot of these people are heading to a party or are just returning from one. Probably both. It begins this early in the morning in a bid to not get over crowded.But even that isn’t a good enough reason to divert the large crowds .
With 500 blocos around Rio, it could be confusing to decide which ones to go to but I think, the ones that have a history and story behind them are the most interesting, offering a unique cultural experience.
We follow the music and eventually find ourselves in what seems like OZ land. I feel like I have suddenly been transported to some magical world! People are dressed up as everything that I can and can’t think off. Everybody is dressed in a unique manner and I hardly spot people in the same costume. I am generally stunned for a few minutes . I feel boring with my shorts and tshirt. Had I known how serious these guys are about making their costumes, I would have probably come dressed as Alice and wonderland or something. Maybe Dorothy since I used the Wizard of OZ analogy.
The band had already started playing.There were instruments that I had never seen before. It is their love for music that brings people to participate in these different bands that play in the various blocos . You immediately tend to immerse yourself in the song and dance. This bloco is like a parade which will move around the neighbourhood for a couple of hours.The crowd is a little overwhelming at first and there is literally no space to move. Eeshit and I manage to sneak our way in the middle of the parade where the band is playing. The general discomfort of being pushed around is dwarfed by the incredible energy of the music and the happy faces around me. I can’t tell who is a local and who is a Gringo as they call tourists here in Brazil .
I go into my profound traveller space again as I see these happy faces around me. The carnival is so much about freeing your spirit and being exactly who you are or who you want to be. There are no pretences .
I dont understand Portuguese so I don’t know what the songs mean, but they stay with you and sound amazing.
5 things you need to know for your first bloco experience-
1)Don’t carry any bags . Just enough money to buy yourself drinks
2)Never. Never wear slippers. Only closed shoes
3)Plan your blocos in advance. Try the traditional blocos and the ones with a twist like Bloco do Sargento Pimenta (Sergant pepper) that play beatles songs in Samba style.
4)Try to get as close to the band. It’s much more fun.
5)It’s easy to get carried away and seems impossible to leave a bloco once you are there, but if you want to make the most of the different blocos, you need to conserve your energy.
A man in a pink tutu sprays my face with glitter . Anybody who is shy and socially awkward needs to visit Brazil . They’ll loosen up in a day. Brazil does that to you. The vibe is contagious.
11 am and I am exhausted. But my first bloco experience has been incredible. The sheer enthusiasm of the people who come in such elaborate costumes is inspiring. You can see the planning and passion with which every costume has been designed.
After a 2 hour nap , we headed to a local football game that we had tikcets to. Even amidst carnaval , people had come to watch the game between the local favourites Vasco and Fluminense.
It was extremely hot today but a Caipirinha saved me. We bought whistles to cheer for Vasco since we were in that stand.
The stadium was only 70 % full which is considered to be sold out. Apparently, all tickets in the statium are not issued as an entire stadium filled with aggressive fans runs the risk of going out of control. I believe that after being witness to the entertaining responses of the crowd to the game.Beating drums, flags being flown and slogans being shouted that echo in the grand stadium.Something that you must experience !
