Carnaval 101: A Brazilian’s Guide to Brazil’s Biggest Festive Season
Graphic by Grace Lougheed. Image via Carl De Souza / AFP / Getty.
Carnaval is probably one of the most common things that people associate with Brazil — though women, soccer and Rio de Janeiro would also be in a tight race for first. The first thing to understand about Carnaval is that it’s a festival that takes place in the beginning of the year, varying from mid-February to mid-March. Although the dates aren’t too important in understanding Carnaval, it helps to set the scene because it’s during peak Brazilian summer – with temperatures around 85 degrees Fahrenheit every day.
So, what is Carnaval? Although it definitely varies from state to state, Carnaval usually includes street parties called blocos (“blocks” in English), trucks or floats that move with a musical performance on top called trio elétrico (“electric” in English) and extravagant organized parades led by samba schools. Although this may seem like a lot to take in, the gist of it is that Carnaval consists of parties, glitter, costumes, music and an overall good mood.
Image via Business Insider
Most of all, Carnaval is a mindset. It’s reflected in everything Brazilians do at that time of the year, including fashion, makeup and music. Here’s a breakdown of all of that.
The Fashion
Let me get one thing straight when it comes to Carnaval costumes: it is not Halloween. It’s not just a couple of events where you dress up as a character or famous person and take photos of yourself to post on Instagram. Carnaval fashion is a feeling – it’s a way of dressing up and looking festive in an unbearably hot summer. Sure, some looks can pay homage to characters and people — most commonly mermaids, devils and angels — but it’s definitely not a requirement.
What then is the Carnaval look? Basically anything as long as it’s colorful, shiny, very minimal in fabric or funny. For instance, I once went out wearing a pink bikini, a pink shiny tutu and glitter all over my body. So, weird and not a Halloween costume, but very, very Carnaval-esque.
The Makeup
If I could sum up Carnaval makeup in a word, it would be glitter. So much glitter. Forget full-coverage foundation and contouring, the main thing to do with makeup during Carnaval season is to have fun with it.
Around two years ago was sadly the last time I could be in Brazil to celebrate Carnaval, but I remember buying small tubes of colorful glitter to use. In every photo during that time, there’s shining streaks of glitter all over my face. It’s safe to say that those tubes ran out pretty quickly.
Image via Giovana Gelhoren
The Music
Carnaval-esque music varies between genres like samba, axé and funk. As long as it’s music to dance to, I’d say you’re on the right track. Samba, the musical genre most associated with Carnaval, originated many years ago with its roots in Africa. It’s based on heavy percussion, rich lyrics and a signature style of dance.
Here’s a playlist with this year’s samba songs for the parade in Rio de Janeiro:
Axé, on the other hand, is a fusion of African and Caribbean styles such as Merengue, Salsa and Reggae. This genre, signature of the Northeast of Brazil, is what plays the most in the famous electric trios. Here’s a song from one of Axé’s (and Brazil’s) most famous singers: Ivete Sangalo:
Last, but definitely not least, is funk. This style, with influences from American hip-hop, Miami Bass and rap music, is one that’s sure to get everyone in a party dancing. In fact, I’d say funk has also been the origin for a specific style of dancing – a Brazilian style of twerking with moves like quadradinho and passinho do brega funk. Instead of explaining these though, I’ll let Brazilian singer and dancer Anitta show you some of her moves:
With all that being said, I hope this guide helped introduce Carnaval season to anyone who was clueless about it before. If you’re free next February/March, I’d definitely recommend making the trip — it’s the best time of year to visit!