Samba Enchanted Evening

A trip to Rio during Carnival would not be complete without seeing one of the famous Samba School parades, so we will be going to one on this evening, not returning to MAASDAM until the wee hours of tomorrow morning.      


HISTORY OF SAMBA SCHOOLS

Carnival has been celebrated in Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro for centuries, but samba schools were only first inaugurated in Rio Carnival in the 1920s.

At the end of the 19th century, immigrants from Bahia state brought with them the tradition of playing candomble and dancing a bahian dance called the samba. In the slums of downtown Rio, a place referred to as 'Little Africa', they established a number of religious houses devoted to religious ceremonies where they played and danced the early forms of samba.

However African religions were illegal in a dominantly catholic Brazil. These roots of samba remained invisible to the white elite for a long time.
The samba schools' parading structure originates from groups marching during Carnival in the 19th century. In that period of time they already had the Vanguard Commission, a chosen theme, floats, and the flag bearing couple, all of which are essential parts of today's samba schools. 

The first group to call itself a samba school was a group founded in 1928 and called Deixa Falar, which came from the district of Estácio, located on the hill above Praça Onze, considered the cradle of samba. They called themselves samba school because they met right next door to a local children's school. 

Deixa Falar and Mangueira were both founded at the end of the 1920's, Deixa Falar first, in 1926, and Mangueira soon after, in 1928. Deixa Falar was disbanded and later refounded as Estácio de Sá. Mangueira is the oldest existing samba school, although it was not the first.

Deixa Falar paraded for the first time on Praça Onze in 1929. In 1930 there was already 5 schools parading including Mangueira and Vai Como Pode, later known as Portela. The parade of the samba schools had become a contest, which Deixa Falar won in 1930 and 1931. By 1932 there were 19 schools parading. In 1933 the parade started to be sponsored by the biggest Brazilian media group 'O Globo'. They established a list of 4 marking criteria for the judges.

Many of the Rio de Janeiro samba schools were originally part of a soccer club in the area where they were founded, such as Porto da Pedra.

In the last few years Rio Branco, the main financial street downtown, has become the principal place for the carnival bands and groups to parade in over carnival weekend. Although there are parades in almost all parts of the city at that time. The street becomes packed with groups of revelers from mid afternoon to the small hours of the following morning (starting from the Cinelândia end of the street). You can also find  many street bands around Lapa, all through Carnival.

[source - Wikipedia]