The return of the famous parades in the Sambodrome is associated with great emotions. Residents of Rio and members of samba schools missed the shared experience very much.
Rio de Janeiro – Intoxicating samba rhythms, tight costumes and huge enthusiasm: After the corona-related cancellation in 2021 and the postponement this February, the city’s best samba schools once again paraded through the sambodrome at the world-famous Rio de Janeiro carnival.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be back,” said João Paulo Damasio from “Mangueira”, one of the most popular samba schools in Rio, the German Press Agency on Friday evening (local time). “More special than in other years, the double, triple emotion.”
The carnival metropolis had suffered greatly from the lack of the biggest party in the world. “I really missed being with people, having fun. Brazilians need this human warmth,” Damasio told dpa. The residents of the city and the members of samba schools are happy that after two years there are parades again, that Rio is dancing samba again.
In Brazil, the healthcare system collapsed in March and April last year at the height of the corona pandemic. According to the statistics portal “Our World in Data”, South America is now the vaccination pioneer, the region with the highest percentage of vaccinated people. “I thought I would die in the pandemic,” Ana Paula Varca told dpa. “And decided to do a lot of things I haven’t done before.” Like parading in the school of her heart.
Journey to another world
The carnival, with its lush shapes and exuberant colors, stimulates the imagination again, lets your thoughts travel. Every samba school takes you to another world. Many post-pandemic parades have been marked by nostalgia and homage to the carnival. The “Imperatriz Leopoldinense”, which opened on Friday evening, paid tribute to the director Arlindo Rodrigues, who led the Imperatriz to their first of eight victories in the Samba Schools Championship in 1980.
The “Mangueira”, with a reinterpretation of the life of Jesus, winner of the last carnival in 2020, looked at the history of the school this time and took on three of its important personalities. She also wowed with an instant change of clothes. With glittering costumes and magnificent floats, the “Viradouro” drew a parallel between the carnival of 2022 and that of 1919, when Rio residents celebrated the end of the Spanish flu in the streets. The topic of carnival as a form of resistance by the black population was also present.
A total of six of the top 12 schools performed until early Saturday morning (local time). On Saturday evening, the performances of the other six samba schools in the first division were on the program.
Millions follow carnival on TV
Tens of thousands from the stands and millions in front of television screens in Brazil and around the world watched the parades in the Sambodrome. Mayor Eduardo Paes had announced the largest carnival festival in history. But a carnival of surprises was expected. The pandemic had also hit the financially strongest samba schools – the cards were reshuffled.
Mayor Paes canceled the street carnival for the second time in a row at the beginning of January due to the corona pandemic. But Rio couldn’t quite give it up in February either. Brazilians like having two carnivals this year.
Since the end of February and now since Wednesday, when the carnival had started with parades of the rising class, there have been spontaneous gatherings in the city again and again. Ana Paula Varca said: “It’s different in the streets during Carnival, everyone is dressed up. that joy. Terrible without carnival.” Rio hasn’t quite recovered yet: “Even this carnival isn’t the one we know.” dpa
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