Shake it! Carnaval in Brazil

by clorenz1 | February 14, 2007 at 10:44 am

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The time is upon us where those of us not in Brazil get to watch those in Brazil have an amazing time shaking it. This year the party starts on the 17th and runs through the 20th. I found a a couple of stories to get you started, and too gibe an idea of what is happening with this years celebration. In short, the big news today is condoms. Not so much that they have been discovered, but that they will be handed out to the crowds. The Catholic church is not very happy about such a move by the government, which aims to raise awareness, and provide the little packages for the party people.

Catholic bishops in Brazil are unhappy over a government initiative to give away 35 million free condoms during Carnaval. The government stared to hand out the free condoms on Sunday in a campaign that includes advertisements and with the official slogan “With condoms, the good feeling goes on after the party is over.” Nonetheless, Church officials allege that the ten-day campaign will promote promiscuity amongst revelers.

What is it about Brazil? Either everyone born there is gorgeous or they're not giving passports to those who aren't. The country's bikinis are tiny and waxing regimens correspondingly extreme. And let's not forget: Brazil throws the most decadent celebration of the year. But there would be no ass-shaking at Carnaval without Brazil's most beloved export: music.

Alex Koberle, singer and guitarist for San Francisco's Bat Makumba, knows what the rhythms of his native country can do to a crowd. Bat Makumba plays its pulsating fusion of Brazilian funk-rock to packed houses in the band's Bay Area home base and along the West Coast.