O Bloco e A Bateria

This Sunday I went to a "bloco" with my roommate Ana.  When she invited me to the bloco she explained it to be a kind of BBQ/block party where the neighborhood gets together and invites friends and family over for a pre-carnaval celebration.  Turns out, block parties to Brazilians are quite different than what I remember taking part in as a kid.

At a bloco, friends and family from one neighborhood come together to eat, drink and samba.  The day started out normal as we headed to the metro to meet up with a group of Ana's friends.  We took the metro to a meeting spot about 30 minutes away from where I live.  At the meeting spot you buy a t-shirt and a hat (both cost about R$10, or about $7 USD).  This t-shirt/hat are your "ticket" to the bloco and allow you a complimentary ride on the metro to the neighborhood where the bloco is taking place as well as unlimited cerveja (beer).

At the bloco, friends and family enjoy food, cerveja and each others company as the bateria prepares to play.  A bateria is the percussion portion of a Brazilian band (also called Escola de Samba around Carnaval time, literally meaning Samba School).  

THEN, the bateria begins to play.  

The bateria that I was with consisted of about 25 different drums, 10-15 tambourine players, two acoustic guitar players and a leader.  As the bateria plays they walk down the block while the friends and family dance samba all the way down the street.  It takes about 30 minutes just to walk this one block because the bateria stops between songs to chant or sing.

This was like nothing I have ever seen before.  Everyone in the neighborhood sings and dances to the music, and people come from other neighborhoods to watch the bateria play.  The music was beautiful, and the girls who can really dance samba (unlike us gringas) are amazing to watch.  This was my first real cultural celebration in Brasil, and it was only a "practice" for Carnaval.  

Since the music is playing so loudly and people are dancing, it is not required to speak Portuguese to fit in... so for the first time here in Brasil, I finally fit in. :)

I came home with a hat, a shirt and an amazing cultural experience.