The enthusiastic Brazilian Carnival
The annual Carnival in Brazil is a unique festival. It is also the most important ethnic celebration. It comes between the end of February and the beginning of March every year. Hundreds of thousands of tourists from overseas were attracted to join the feast of rejoicing, which involves flamboyant costumes, sexy Brazilian girls and passionate Samba dance.
在巴西,一年一度的狂欢节是一个独特的节日,也是最重要的民族庆典,于每年2月底至3月初举行。艳丽的服装、性感的巴西女郎、奔放的桑巴舞,吸引着海外无数游客前往尽享乐宴。
The earliest Carnival dates back to 1641, when the colonial rulers implemented a decree. According to it, people would be encouraged to parade, dance and drink unrestrainedly to celebrate the birthday of the Portuguese King. More than three hundred years later, the Carnival has become the most important folk festival of Brazil.
最早的狂欢节要追溯到1641年,当时的殖民统治者颁布了一条法令。法令鼓励民众自由地游行、跳舞及畅饮来庆祝葡萄牙国王的寿辰。300多年后,狂欢节已成了巴西民间最重要的节日。
It originally mimicked the European form of the festival, later absorbing elements derived from Native American and African cultures.
它最初模仿欧洲的节日形式,后来吸收了美洲土著和非洲文化的派生元素。
On February 24th of this year, the “King Momo” dressed in bright orange, took the gold key of the city from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, to signify the beginning of Carnival. During the following five days, the “King”,who plays a leading role in the Carnival, would throw out all daily routines, so that people could indulge themselves. The “King Momo” this year was a 33-year-old architect. His name was Alex de Oliveira.
今年2月24日,身着鲜橙色服饰的“莫莫王”从里约热内卢市长手中接过城市金钥匙,标志着狂欢节的开始。接下来的5天,“莫莫王”在狂欢节中率领着人们将日常的常规全部推翻,以使所有人能纵情狂欢。今年的“莫莫王”是一名33岁的建筑师,名叫亚历克斯德奥利韦拉。
“King Momo” is also known as “the King of Carnival”. He is hand-picked by Rio residents. There was once a rule that required the “King” to weigh no less than 100 kg. Today, there is a rule that the “King” shouldn’t be heavier than 130 kg.
“莫莫王”也叫“狂欢节之王”,由里约市民选出。以前曾有条规定,要求“莫莫王”体重不少于100公斤。现在,规定变为“莫莫王”不得重于130公斤。
The main “course” of the carnival is the Samba dance. Months before the Carnival, some professional Samba schools will set out to compose music, rehearse dances and design costumes according to the current theme of the Carnival.
狂欢节的“主菜”是桑巴舞表演。狂欢节开始的前几个月,一些专业的桑巴舞学校便会根据当年的狂欢节主题着手制作音乐、编排舞蹈并设计服饰。
The Carnival is highlighted with the Samba competitions, where every Samba school would send thousands of dancers to participate. Every school has 90 minutes to demonstrate their performance and have them graded by experts. The winner is given one million US dollars. Generally the tickets for the Smnba competition would be sold out a month In advance.
桑巴舞大赛是狂欢节的髙潮,每所桑巴舞学校都会出动数千名舞者参赛,各校有90分钟的时间进行表演,由专家评定成绩,获胜者可以得到100万美元。通常,桑巴舞比赛的入场券会在一个月前就售光。
Block parades have become an expressive feature of Rio’s Carnival. Today, they number more than 100 and the groups increase each year. Blocos can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a distinct title with an often funny pun. They may also note their neighborhood or social status. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach. Some blocos never leave one street and have a particular place, such as a bar, to attract viewers. Block parades start in January, and may last until the Sunday after Carnival.
街区游行已经成为里约热内卢狂欢节的特色。如今,有100多支队伍参加,并且参加队伍逐年增加。游行方阵可大可小,队伍名字经常是俏皮的双关语。他们可能还标志着其社区或社会地位。在游行前,他们聚集在一个广场,然后在城市各个地段游行,经常是在海滩附近。有些队伍走遍每一条街,并在某一个地方(如酒吧)停留以吸引观众。街区游行从1月开始,并且可能会持续到嘉年华后的周日。
Blocos parade in nearly every neighborhood, but the most famous ones parade in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Bot nico, and in downtown Rio. Organizers often compose their own music themes that are added to the performance and singing of classic “marchinhas” and samba popular songs.
几乎每—个社区都有自己的街区游行,但最有名的是在里约市中心的科帕卡巴纳、艾潘尼玛、 黎布朗、拉戈亚、雅尔丁波坍尼科。组织者往往把自己创作的音乐主题添加到经典的“marchinhas” 和桑巴流行歌曲的演奏和演唱上。
The northeastern cities of Salvador, Porto Seguro and Recife have also organized groups parading through streets, but watchers are also welcome to dance. They follow the “trio el6trico” floats through the city streets.
东北部城市萨尔瓦多、塞古罗港及累西腓也组织街道游行,但也欢迎游客一起跳舞。他们跟随着播放在大街小巷里的“trio ei6trico”而走。
Seven hundred thousand tourists swarmed the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. Whoever they are poor or rich, celebrity or ordinary people—they are all just dancers, day and night. Happiness prevails, while complaints disappear Countless romantic stories occur during the celebrations, brightening everyone’s dull daily life. In order to safeguard Carnival, the Brazilian government dispatched 25 million free condoms to help prevent the spread of venereal diseases.
70万游客奔着狂欢节涌人里约热内卢这个海滨城市。他们不分贫富贵贱,都只是舞者,日夜尽情跳舞,幸福四处洋溢,不满已无影无踪。庆典期间,数不尽的罗曼史在发生,点亮了每个人平庸的日常生活。为了给狂欢节“保驾护航”,巴西政府免费派送了2500万只安全套,以减少性病的传播