Carnival in Rio

by Mariana Degener (Portugal)

Making a local connection Brazil

"I'm moving to Rio!!", these were my first words when I landed in Portugal. I can tell you that I took a while to get back to normal life and still this ideia keeps in my mind. Why not? I ask to myself !! As the famous quote says "a vida sao 2 dias, o carnaval sao 3", means life is shorter than carnival. More specifically "life last 2 days, carnival last 3". I always had a deep connection to Brazil. My grand grandmother had 24 children and my grandmother is the number 23th. She always tells me stories about her siblings - that several of them moved to Rio long time ago. They got married there with Brazilian citizens. For Portugal, Brazil was always an option to emigrate as we speak the same language. At that time even more as Brazil was developing big cities and you could find jobs easily. So besides the fact I have a lot of family living there, Brazil culture always attracted me for different reasons. As a child I always paid attention to their soap opera that they are so go on it! Brazilian music was always part of my life and relatives and a reference when it comes to food, beauty and nice people. I have been in Brazil in 2016 but nothing compared to this new experience that I just lived. I came back 1 week ago and everything is so fresh... This time I joined the trip with some Brazilian friends that are currently living in Lisbon, where I live as well, and I had the opportunity to live carnival and Rio as a local! Rio with local people is even more magic than it was on that time. I start to mention the huge great and powerful energy they can transmit everywhere!! Is a feeling of happiness crossing your body and mind all the time. Without even noticing, you feel happy for apparently any specific reason. Even if is a rainy day! People are happy with less!! And you can feel! Smiling, dancing, eating is really what you do when you are in Rio. And the carnival? Oh gosh! The carnival... Can't describe by words the most well planned event on earth. They take 1 year producing all the show, putting their effort to overcome the previous year (if is possible) because is always so impressive... 7 thousand people dancing coordinated, 10 million invested on their costumes, lyrics and melodies that makes you dream and question yourself if all of that is real. This is the case of Beija flor for instance, one of the biggest schools. That's a party!!! Although the most important thing to highlight on carnival in my opinion is the people who makes part of this incredible project! This isn't just about the party, is about friendship, connection, goals, contributions that people have thought their years. Isn't it beautiful? A way to forget their problems? A way to make yourself occupied with something you love? A way to contribute to one of the wonders of the world? An opportunity to show your abilities and skills? To meet people? To learn to dance? To help your country? So many reasons to join the greatest show I ever seen! I wished everyone could go there once in their lives! If I'm moving? I will try! If I'm going back? As many times as I can!