Carnival is canceled
Lesson summary
Officially postponed, but probably canceled. Hi there, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English lesson number 302. The producer of this lesson is JR. You heard from him last week. And the full lesson is online at PlainEnglish.com/302. So you can read the transcript right from your phone as you listen. It’s one of the great features we have on PlainEnglish.com.
On today’s lesson, Rio de Janeiro’s samba schools have canceled the city’s world-famous Carnival. What will Brazil be in February without Carnival? The expression today is to keep your options open. And we have a quote of the week.
Rio cancels its famous Carnival
On February 3, 1959, a plane crashed in Clear Lake, Iowa, killing three promising rock and roll musicians. That day later became known in America as “the day the music died.”
In Brazil, the music died on September 25, 2020, the day that Rio de Janeiro’s League of Samba Schools (LIESA) announced the 2021 Carnival would be postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The parade organizers decided that it would be too risky to host the event without a vaccine. It is the first time festivities have been canceled since 1912.
The Carnival is a music, dance and cultural festival held each year before Lent, usually at the end of February. It is one of the world’s largest parties with over two million people in the streets each day. The official parade features many of the city’s samba schools performing amid elaborately-designed floats, costumes and sets. A samba school is a private club of drummers, dancers, musicians and marchers. They dance, sing, and perform, hoping to impress a panel of judges, as tens of thousands watch live and millions more watch on television. Last year, floats included mermaids, people in cowboy costumes, unicorns, elephants, dragons, superheros, and public figures. Individuals dressed up—or dressed down—in elaborate costumes, makeup, and hair styles.
The official parade grounds are in the Sambradrome, a packed exhibition area for the official performances. But the carnival atmosphere engulfs the city, and features exclusive private parties and anything-goes street festivals. Hundreds of small parties, called blocos, break out across the city, some of them with thousands of partiers each.
For most people, Carnival is a party and a celebration: for others, it’s a livelihood. The announcement dealt a tragic blow to the many people who make their living preparing for the world’s biggest party. They are the costume designers, carpenters, sculptors, jewelry makers, security guards, restaurant and bar owners, and many others that make a large part of their annual income from preparing for, and serving, the festival.
In addition to the party, Carnival is also a time to make political commentary—and skewer the people in power. That would have been especially welcome this year, as people are frustrated with the government’s handling of the pandemic. Revelers will be deprived of the opportunity to express their opinions in their traditional Brazilian fashion.
The question now is, what is going to happen between February 12 and February 17 in Rio? With the official parade off, will the city still heave with visitors and revelers—or will people stay inside and respect social distance?
Individual samba schools—despite the name, samba schools are samba clubs or organizations, not instructional schools—the individual samba schools are keeping their options open. They may choose to perform individually, away from the official parade grounds, and they may visit the street parties that typically pop up. Some people have said that the only responsible thing to do is to cancel the parties, and that samba schools are acting in a more responsible manner than the country’s government leaders. Others say that Carnival lives inside everyone—and that people will find a way to party, regardless of the official parade or guidance.
Rio’s government will have to decide how much of the informal street parties it will allow this year. The city’s tourism agency, responsible for promoting Carnival to travelers around the world, said that it would be hard to promote a party like that without a vaccine. Each year, Rio’s Carnival attracts over 2 million visitors and generates $725 million in tourism spending. São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, canceled its Carnival in July.
Brazil has suffered more than most countries. Its first case of Covid-19 was identified on February 26, one day after the 2020 festival ended. Since then, over 130,000 Brazilians have died of Covid-19, the second-most of any country except the US.
Share your carnival memories
I’m not one for crowds, but that is one thing I’d like to see, once Covid is fully and completely in our rear-view mirror. I even wonder, based on the news, what would even be possible in 2022.
I’d love to see your pictures and hear your stories about Carnival. We have a lot of Brazilian listeners, but I also suspect we have listeners from other countries that have been to Carnival. Maybe you were among the 2 million tourists that visited Rio last year, or a previous year.
Tell me what Carnival means to you, what it’s like in your town, share some memories in our Facebook group. You can join by visiting PlainEnglish.com/Facebook.
Learn English the way it’s really spoken
