Once in a lifetime you have an opportunity that you simply cannot pass up. One of those events that – even with a life like mine – you know you will regret forever if you are foolish enough to let it pass you by. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a few of those: Tekal, Petra, Ephesus by twilight…
And now, well…
This time of year, there’s only one event worth going to in Rio..
Welcome, to Carnaval 2016.
Getting permission to attend the biggest street party in the northern hemisphere was neither simple, nor inexpensive (the tickets I mean, obviously asking was free!). It’s an all night event so it drastically effects the nature of my schedule for not just one day but two. To get clearance for me my (amazing) supervisor had to speak to both the Entertainment Manager and the Cruise Director. I was just waited and held my breath; I got the call to the office part way through the morning shift.
Okay Shaughnessy, you may go. On the condition that you leave your office keys with someone, and that you are going to be able to work the next morning. Please do not screw that up.
I’m only going to be drinking water ma’am, I promise
It’s not the drinking, I know that, it’s that you won’t leave early. You won’t want to. And the last time I went it took me two weeks to recover.
I promise. I’ll just go straight to work, by a few shots of expresso and power through till my break, it’s only two hours.
That’s my girl. Okay, go, have fun. You know it will be just you right? Amras is working.
Yup, got that covered.
Then enjoy!
Which is how I found myself on a bus in a truly insane snarl of traffic, fighting our way to the world famous Sambadrome. Even though it’s not that far from the port termainl, it takes ages to get there; traffic is a beast this time of year, and the fact that there are eleven ships in over the course of the weekend probably doesn’t help matters much. Seriously! We almost had to tender! Into Rio! Can you imagine??
Our bus – the last one to leave the terminal- is very nearly late, which means we got there it was an interesting experience trying to find our seats! Thankfully I didn’t have to climb over too many people. The Sambadrome is outdoors, with tiered concreate seating, exactly like an open-roofed sports stadium, except this is definitely not a sports stadium. Instead of a field, a huge alley – more the size of a city highway actually – stretches the entire length of the arena. This is the parade route, and it takes each ‘school’ just under an hour to transverse it (if they are running to time, and if they don’t they lose points)
And this…this is a parade that puts everything else you have ever seen to shame.
Even with the ill-tempered bickering of the couple behind me (the husband forgot to put the memory card in his wife’s camera….biiiig mistake) – the energy in the place was overwhelming.
There’s a twenty minute gap int between the six different schools of the parade, and it takes each of them about an hour to make the crossing ; any more than that and they are docked points for being over time. Every school has a different theme, which I imagine they must pick out a year in advance given how complex some of the work that goes into it is. And every parade starts with fireworks at the far end of the arena.
I will tell you this – all those pictures you see? Of the feathers and the sequins and the flags? They are all true. And seeing it all in person, knocks you off your metaphorical feet.
People really do dance in their seats, or rather on their seats as it’s bleacher style seating. And if you don’t like crowds or volume this is not the place for ou. If you are unable to relish the samba drums realigning your heartbeat then you don’t belong here (part of me longed to tell this to the people around me who sat with their ears plugged the whole time)
The opening mini-parade was a small elegant presentation themed on the upcoming 2016 Olympics, the woman spinning the Olympic flag on the central float looked almost heavenly in the way she moved.
But the first float – which wasn’t truly a school – paled in comparison to what came after. The first “proper” school presented a breathtaking hour-long tribute to St George and the Dragon, including the dragon! I have never seen, nor experienced anything like it. They actually recreated the famous battle with a larger than life marionette horse that did everything from galloping to bowing, operated by tiny dancers dressed as angels who pulled on the massive controlling ropes to make the knight’s mount come to life. And the costumes! You have never seen such costumes! Dragons, angels, knights in armor, devils that battled saints before your eyes. A float that presented Fairieland, complete with the fairies!
While all of this is spilling over yo, you forget that it’s still boiling out despite it being near midnight, you forget that you’re sitting on overheated concrete, you forget about the stress of work, the pressure and the homesickness. It doesn’t even matter that you don’t speak portraguese and can’t understand a word that’s being said! You just sit there and try and figure out what to look at first.
And then it hits you…
That was only the first parade!
The second school gave us Athletics, opening with a stunning tribute to the Greek Gods (“oh, hi Diana! Fancy seeing you here!”) and moving onto hang-gliding (with people dressed as clouds for the hang-gliders to fly through), and a highly creative nod to almost every variation of water sports. There were even people dressed as beachballs!
IT was at that point that I started to see the ominous flashing red light on my camera. Despite my having left it on its charger all night to prepare for this, the poor battery just isn’t used to this kind of heavy activity.
Thankfully said battery survived until three quarters of the way through the third school, which was a glowing sunset of red and gold that was clearly a favourite among the crowd judging from the amount of cheering it received. And the number of waving flags that erupted from the crowd when the school’s parade was announced. The most impressive float I’d see so far that night (other than the knight), featured a samba dancer performing in the outstretched palm of a giant golden goddess-figure, and that outstretched hand moved (all that went through my head at the time was ‘tiny dancer in my hand’).
Without a camera though, and with fatigue lapping at the edges of my mind, I thought it best to leave while I still had strength in my legs and dance in my heart. I try to be responsible and I did, after all, make several people promises in order to be granted this glittering few hours away from reality. Also, looking around I saw not one person I knew, and I had promised I would stay close to the group.
Around here after all, it’s still better safe than sorry.
Besides, for me, nothing could top the sight of a larger than life St George cowing a dragon. These days – for me at least – that’s a visual I know I will likely call to mind many times in the future…