 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Carnival block" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Carnival blocks,carnaval blocos orblocos de rua are street bands that mobilize crowds on the streets and are the main popular expression ofBrazilian Carnival. These parades fall under the term "street carnival", and happen during a period of about one month, beginning before and finishing after Carnival. Blocos usually perform Brazilian rhythms, such asmarchinha,samba,frevo,maracatu, andaxé.
Street carnival blocos have become a mainstay of Rio's Carnival, and today, there are several hundred blocos. Block parades start in January, and may last until the Sunday after Carnival. Carnaval Blocos are found throughout Rio de Janeiro. One of the largest and oldest blocos isCordão do Bola Preta, based in downtown Rio. Other large groups includeBanda de Ipanema andMonobloco.
InRecife, the carnival blockGalo da Madrugada was registered in theGuinness Book of World Records as the biggest carnival parade in the world. In its 2013 parade, the crowd following the bloco was larger than 2,500,000 people[1]).
BesidesGalo da Madrugada, thousands of others carnival blocks with sizes ranging from few hundred to millions of people, perform in the streets ofRecife andOlinda including As Virgens de Olinda, Eu Acho É Pouco, Batutas de São José, Lenhadores, Pitombeiras, Segura o Talo, Bloco da Saudade, Enquanto Isso Na Sala de Justiça andO Homem da Meia-Noite.
Blocks are the most traditional parading type inMinas Gerais.Zé Pereira dos Lacaios inOuro Preto, founded in 1867, is the oldest block still active in Brazil.[2][3]