Carnival
I am not particularly fond of Carnaval. I know that my country is famous for its Carnival, which attracts many tourists for these frenetic four days. But it is not a festival that I appreciate. But I have some good memories of a Carnival that I spent in Salvador, Bahia, when I was 18 years old, before the invention of the electric trios. And of the time when the songs written especially for Carnival were among the best Brazilian songs. And, of course, there are the stories related to Carnaval. As that of the Benedictine priest who told me that as a young man in Recife – years before he joined the Seminary – he would leave his home on Friday evening with his umbrella and would return on the early morning of Ash Wednesday with only the ribs and stretchers of the umbrella. In order to dance the frevo, the typical Recife music, you need the umbrella to keep your balance. The story that I am going to tell you is a true one. I never met the main protagonist, but he was a close fri...