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Old Portugal

Decent Essays

Origins: Traditional Holidays in Old Portugal Dating back to its establishment during the Middle Ages, Carnaval finds its roots in the Catholic world. Considered a pre-Lenten festival, Carnaval developed as a final occasion for intimate pleasure and materialistic indulgent before Lenten sacrifices. Moreover, the word “carnaval” is believed to derive from the phrase carne vale, meaning “farewell to flesh” in Latin (Crowley 25:15). Influences from different Christmas traditions held in Old Portugal are seen in Brazilian Carnaval, one of which is termed pastoril. In Brazil, Pastoril consists of a group of men, also called cordoés, who dress up as various personalities and get together to sing praises in front of a crib set. These characters include …show more content…

Thousands of samba schools (known as Epiphany Troupes prior to the 1920’s), floats, and vibrant costumes take the streets of Rio in dance and celebration, adorned by their national rhythm of samba (Chasteen p.73, 48). In the 1950’s, along with Government support came mandatory requirements. First, each samba school must choose a nationalist theme for their parades. Also, due to its African roots, sprouting from Bahia, Brazil (city where African slaves were first brought in the 1500’s), it is a requirement that each samba school have Baians to honor the efforts of women like Tia Ciata, a forerunner in the early carnival movement (p.49) For Brazils economy, Rio Carnaval is a major source of monetary gain. Though with yearly changes of themes and costumes, carnival can be very expensive for Brazilians, especially those living in low-income …show more content…

Still, Trinidad Carnival integrates different aspects of festivals celebrated in France, Spain, and Britain. As early as the 1560’s, the French brought over the famous festival of Mardi Gras. During the time before Ash Wednesday, French planters in Trinidad celebrated the ridding of their cares by consuming alcohol, going to parties, and paying house-to-house visits. However, the masks used in Mardi Gras were banned during the French Revolution. Similar to the French, Catholic Spaniards also went from house to house singing and serenading friends during Christmastime (Liverpool 26-27). Great Britain’s influence on Trinidad Carnival is minimal. Most significant was the Trinidad Sentinel, which mimicked Britain’s Grand Ball

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