"Carnival officially starts on Thursday
night at 2000 when the keys of the city are given to the Carnival King "Rei
Momo". The unofficial opening though is on Wednesday with the Lavagem do Porto da
Barra, when throngs of people dance on the beach. Later on in the evening is the Baile dos
Atrizes, starting around 2300 and going on until dawn, very bohemian, good fun.
Carnival in Bahia is the largest in the world
and encourages active participation. It is said that there are 1 1/2 million people
dancing on the streets at any one time.
There are two distinct musical formats:
The Afro Blocos are large
drum based troupes (some with 200 drummers) who play in the street, accompanies by singers
atop mobile sound trucks. ......... The basis of the rhythm is the enormous surdo
(deaf) drum with its bumbum bumbum bum anchorbeat, while the smaller repique,
played with light twigs, provides a crack-like overlay.
The enormous trios electricos,
12 meter sound trucks with powerful sound systems that defy most decibel counters, are the
second format. These trucks, each with its own town band of up to 10 musicians, play songs
influenced by the afro blocos and move at a snail's pace through the streets,
drawing huge crowds. Each Afro Bloco and bloco de trio has its own
costume and its own security personnel, who cordon off the area around the sound truck.
The bloco members can thus dance in comfort and safety.
The traditional Carnival route is from Campo
Grande (by the Tropical Hotel da Bahia) to Praca Castro Alves near the old town. The
blocos go along Avenida 7 de Setembro and return to Campo Grande via the parallel Rua
Carlos Gomes. Many of the trios no longer go through the Praca Castro Alves, once the
epicenter of Carnival. The best night is Tuesday (the last night of Carnival) when the
famous "Encontro dos Trios" (Meeting of the Trios) takes place. Trios jostle for
position in the square and play in rotation until the dawn (or later!) on Ash
Wednesday."
