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 friend of the friend that told it to me.
It happened in the late 1950's, in Rio de Janeiro. At that time there was a ball called Grito do Carnaval (A Carnival Scream) that happened at the Copacabana Palace Hotel two weeks before Carnival actually started. This was a famous ball and attracted many people, it was a socially important gathering.
Our hero wanted to go the ball, but did not want to take his wife. In fact, he did not want his wife to know that he was going. So he planned everything very carefully.
Since this was a masquerade ball, he ordered a clown’s costume and hid it in his office.
On the morning of the ball he went to his office and then called his wife on the telephone. “I have to go to São Paulo, there is a business meeting that I must attend. But do not worry, I will come back in the afternoon.”
He placed his clown costume in a small suitcase and went to the Copacabana Palace Hotel, where he registered himself as a guest.
At that time the long-distance telephone calls in Brazil were placed manually by an operator, and this operator would initiate the communication stating the place from where she was calling. At about 2:00 PM our protagonist gave a tip to the hotel’s telephone operator, who called his home saying, “São Paulo calling Rio de Janeiro.” Then he explained to his wife that he would have to spend the night in São Paulo, another meeting was taking place the next morning.
The big moment came and he went to the ball, nicely dressed as a clown, and had a wonderful time. He danced, and sung, and had some drinks, and was as happy as one can be.
At 4:00 AM, however, tired and drunk, he forgot all about his plans and went home.
Can you imagine his wife’s surprise when she answered the doorbell and saw her drunken husband dressed as a clown?
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 friend of the friend that told it to me.
It happened in the late 1950's, in Rio de Janeiro. At that time there was a ball called Grito do Carnaval (A Carnival Scream) that happened at the Copacabana Palace Hotel two weeks before Carnival actually started. This was a famous ball and attracted many people, it was a socially important gathering.
Our hero wanted to go the ball, but did not want to take his wife. In fact, he did not want his wife to know that he was going. So he planned everything very carefully.
Since this was a masquerade ball, he ordered a clown’s costume and hid it in his office.
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| Rick Dikeman - Wikimedia Commons |
He placed his clown costume in a small suitcase and went to the Copacabana Palace Hotel, where he registered himself as a guest.
At that time the long-distance telephone calls in Brazil were placed manually by an operator, and this operator would initiate the communication stating the place from where she was calling. At about 2:00 PM our protagonist gave a tip to the hotel’s telephone operator, who called his home saying, “São Paulo calling Rio de Janeiro.” Then he explained to his wife that he would have to spend the night in São Paulo, another meeting was taking place the next morning.
The big moment came and he went to the ball, nicely dressed as a clown, and had a wonderful time. He danced, and sung, and had some drinks, and was as happy as one can be.
At 4:00 AM, however, tired and drunk, he forgot all about his plans and went home.
Can you imagine his wife’s surprise when she answered the doorbell and saw her drunken husband dressed as a clown?
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