Vasco de Gringo

About three hours north of Sao Paolo just outside the tiny, remote
village of Lagoinha, Brazil you can find a giant waterfall called Cachoeira Grande.

Because of its sheer size and beauty it has become somewhat of a tourist attraction for people in the area to visit to cool off on a hot Brazilian day.  However, this weekend was different
as it was transformed into the magical Mundo De Oz Festival, the 3rd highest rated “rave” in the country. The festival, which has the tagline: psychedlic resistance, naturally attracted hundreds of laid-back, heady, and gentle Brazilians who came together to enjoy the mystifying atmosphere and non-stop music; most of them under the influence of psychedelic drugs. 

The music catered perfectly to this crowd as one stage blasted an array of psyechedelic electronic music, mostly consisting of prog, hi-tech, dark progressive, full-on and psytrance; while the other stage played more laid back music such as reggae and deep house.  Both stages had music playing non-stop, 24 hours a day, for the entire festival.

Camping out for four days and nights without a cell-phone or a watch, “normal” time ceased to exist for me after the first night.  I never knew what time it was when I woke up, or what time it was when I went to sleep.  Some days would begin in the middle of the night, while others would end in the middle of the day. 

This unorthodox routine, along with the absolute detachment from the outside world, complete absence of technology or the indoors (aside from the speakers), breath-takingly natural beauty, free-spirited crowd, and ample amount of personal time for self-reflection created a life-changing experience that left me with a broader and more positive perspective on the universe and my place in it.

I passed the time dancing to the intense, trippy music blaring from the 30 foot tall speakers on the main stage, swimming by the waterfall, lounging in the hammocks, enjoying the relaxed live
music being played from the smaller stage, and having conversations
with the friends that brought me there.

All in all it was a refreshing, spiritual journey that has opened my
mind to alternative ways of life as well as a plethora of new music.

I have begun my week with an unusually positive attitude and outlook
on life and cannot express in words how appreciative I am to have
had such a profound experience.

Here is more information about the festival:  http://www.fmoz.com.br/m/

(From now on the posts will be translated to portuguese. Check out the translated version after the original one in english)

As an American, my previous perception of Carnival was some brief clips of the colorful costumes and traditional Brazilian music being displayed in the official parades. To Brazilian’s this is laughable and considering there were over 100,000 people partying in the streets in Sao Paulo for pre-Carnival alone, I too, quickly learned that this celebration is much more than some televised spectacle.  Basically, imagine an entire nation of 200 million people celebrating Mardi Gras in hundreds of cities likely to a far greater extent than they do in New Orleans.

Essentially, the street parties of Carnival revolve around “Blocos” or blocs, which are moving concerts, led by a band and drum conductor on top of a bus or on the back of a truck, that migrate slowly down various avenues and streets.

They would begin at different times in different sections of town, some beginning at 8:00 AM and lasting until midnight.  Each one was followed by its own marching band comprised of synchronized drummers who were coordinated by the conductor.  People could sign up to join these bands and they would generally meet several times to practice in order to prepare for the event.

In the city of Belo Horizonte alone, there were over 200 various blocos, with some drawing crowds as big as 40,000 people. There were all types of blocks that catered to an extremely broad range of people, playing different types of music and having different themes that created an atmosphere that could entertain just about anyone with the right attitude.

I went to multitude of different blocos, with music ranging from The Beatles to traditional Brazilian Samba.  The themes and consequentially the costumes ranged just as wide as the music.  For example, people painted themselves blue for a spiritual themed bloco named Pena de Pavão de Krishna, while people dressed in variety of bright colors for Então Brilha, a bloco celebrating diversity that flowed down a street infamous for its rampant prostitution.

My personal favorite was a bloco called Alcova Libertina which drew massive gathering of the states’ more young, open-minded and ‘alternative’ people to dance and sing  primarily to classic, psychedelic rock/funk like Pink Floyd and Os Mutantes (easily my favorite Brazilian band that were prominent figures in the 1960s anti-dictatorship Tropicalia Movement) down one of BH’s largest avenues.

It had a strong countercultural feel as men dressed as women, and a massive inflatable penis (using protection) was flamboyantly displayed on top of the stage in front of the crowd of 30,000 (at one point penetrating an massive inflatable vagina haha).  I loved joining in as they continually chanted “Chupa a Familia Mineira” which basically means fuck the Coxinhas aka as the close-minded, intolerant, religious conservatives.

I found the people in Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte’s State) to be very politically oriented.  I was frequently engaged in political discussions, generally with people who were dissatisfied with the current state of Brazilian politics. I was shocked to learn about, Aécio Neves, the former governor of Minas whose close political ally Zeze Parella was caught with over 450 kilos of cocaine in his helicopter on his property.  However, despite the fact that many people believe the drugs actually belonged to him, he still managed to finish as the runner-up in the highly contested  2014 Presidential election.  The crowd taunted him by singing another politically-charged song about “Pó Royal” or “Royal Powder” which is a euphemism for cocaine (and a popular baking soda brand).

Although many people are dissatisfied with all of the corruption that is inhibiting Brazil’s vast potential, after what I saw this week, I can feel that change is coming.  Social media is finally giving voices to the individuals that have for so long been muted.  Information is now easily accessible and the masses here are becoming educated.  Maybe I’m thinking optimistically, or was disproportionally exposed to a small minority of politically literate Brazilians, but on several occasions this week I felt like I was at the intersection of Haight-Ashbury on a summer night in the late 1960s; in other words part of a nascent anti-establishment movement.  My understanding of Brazilian politics is very limited now, but expect more information and analysis in future posts.

Carnival was far and away the largest, most exciting, energetic, and passionate celebration I have ever been a part of.  The entire time I could not stop thinking about how jealous I am of the way Brazilians congregate and party. Everyone was so genuinely energetic and happy; appreciating every second of the all-encompassing music, food, drinks, and entertainment.  I have yet to experience a proper Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but I would be shocked if it is even in the same league as the famous Carnival celebrations in countless Brazilian cities.

versão traduzida – por Maíra Bonilha

Sendo um norte-americano, minha percepção do carnaval se resumia​ aos desfiles oficiais, com​ ​suas​ fantasias customizadas e música tradicional brasileira​.​ ​Mas, ao saber que 100 mil pessoas​ foram às ruas de São Paulo alguns dias antes da data oficial para comemorar o pré​-​carnaval, eu logo aprendi que esta celebração é muito mais que o espetáculo televisionado. Resumindo: imagine uma nação de cerca de 200 mil pessoas celebrando o Mardi Gras (espécie de festa carnavesca que acontece todos os anos​ ​nos Estados Unidos) em centenas de cidades e em uma extensão muito maior do que em New Orleans.

Essencialmente, o carnaval de rua gira em torno dos chamados “Blocos”, shows itinerantes liderados por uma banda e um ​maestro da bateria no topo de um trio elétrico ou na caçamba de um caminhão, que migra vagarosamente por avenidas e ruas.

Os blocos iniciam em diferentes momentos do dia e localidades da​s​ cidade​s​, das 8 da manhã até altas horas. Cada bloco é seguido por seu próprio corpo de bateri​a, coordenado pelo ​maestro​. Há seleções para quem quiser se juntar à bateria e ensaios regulares. Na cidade de Belo Horizonte, onde passei meu carnaval,  há cerca de 200 blocos, alguns seguidos por multidões de até 40 mil pessoas. Blocos de todos os tipos e com variados temas tocam diferentes tipos de música, criando uma atmosfera capaz de agradar todos os gostos.

Eu fui a vários ​blocos. As músicas iam de Beatles ao tradicional samba e axé brasileiro. Os temas e as fantasias ​também ​seguiam a variação musical. Por exemplo, ​a vasta quantidade de pessoas ​que ​se pintaram de azul para um bloco de temática espiritual chamado Pena de Pavão de Krishna. Outras se vestiam em cores variadas e ​cintilantes para o Então Brilha, bloco que celebra a diversidade enquanto caminha por uma rua famosa por seus pontos de prostituição.

​Pessoalmente, meu bloco favorito foi o Alcova Libertina, que arrastou jovens de mente aberta e considerados ‘alternativos’ por uma das maiores avenidas de BH, cantando e dançando ao som de rock/funk clássico e psicodélico como Pink Floyd e Os Mutantes (minha banda brasileira predileta, figura proeminente da Tropicália, movimento contra a ditadura dos anos 60). O bloco tinha uma característica contracultural, ao passo de que homens se vestiam como mulheres enquanto um gigante pênis inflável (usando proteção) era audaciosamente exibido para uma plateia de 30 mil pessoas (em um certo momento penetrando uma vagina inflável gigantesca haha). Tive o prazer de me juntar à multidão que entoava “Chupa, Família Mineira!”, que basicamente significa fodam-se os “coxinhas”, ou seja, os grupos sociais de mente fechada e intolerantes, além de conservadores religiosos.

​Eu achei o povo de Minas Gerais (o estado onde fica Belo Horizonte) muito politizado. Frequentemente participei de discussões políticas, geralmente com pessoas insatisfeitas com o atual estado da política brasileira. Fique chocado ao saber que 450 kg de cocaína foram encontrados em um helicóptero de propriedade do deputado Zezé Perrella, forte aliado do ex-governador de Minas Gerais Aécio Neves, que participou da concorrida eleição presidencial de 2014. A multidão zombava Aécio cantando uma canção chamada “Pó Royal”, ou “Royal Powder”, um eufemismo para cocaína (e também uma popular marca de fermento em pó).

Embora muitas pessoas estejam insatisfeitas com a corrupção que inibe o vasto potencial do Brasil, após o que vi essa semana, pude sentir que a mudança está à caminho. As mídias sociais estão finalmente dando voz aos indivíduos que foram por muito tempo calados. A informação é mais acessível do que nunca e as massas por aqui estão se educando. Talvez eu esteja sendo otimista, ou talvez fui exposto apenas à uma pequena minoria de brasileiros politicamente educados, mas em várias ocasiões durante minha semana de carnaval eu me senti na interseção de Haight-Ashbury numa noite de verão no final dos anos 60; ou seja, parte de um movimento nascente. Meu entendimento sobre a política brasileira é ainda muito limitado, mas esperem mais informações e análises em publicações futuras.

O Carnaval foi, de longe, a maior, mais emocionante, energética e apaixonada celebração que eu já fiz parte. Não parava de pensar em quanto invejo o modo como os brasileiros se reúnem e festejam. Claro que havia toneladas de álcool sendo consumidos nas ruas, algo liberado pelas leis daqui. Vendedores se espalhavam a cada 15 metros para comercializar meio litro de cerveja por cerca de 2 dólares. No entanto, não vi sequer uma vez pessoas brigando ou passando mal (provavelmente isso não seja uma coincidência: um país com leis mais relaxadas deve saber como lidar melhor com o álcool). Todos pareciam genuinamente felizes, aproveitando cada segundo da diversão. Eu ainda preciso ir ao Mardi Gras em Nova Orleans para tirar mais conclusões, mas eu ficaria surpreso se este estivesse ao menos próximo do patamar das famosas celebrações carnavalescas que acontecem em inúmeras cidades brasileiras.