Filed under: Buenos Aires, Carnaval, dance, featuredarticle, la boca, music
Music + Dance + Colours = Carnaval Porteño
In February, after a whole year of preparation, Buenos Aires is ready to live one of its most popular festivals: the traditional Carnaval Porteño.
The carnival is a long-standing tradition in the city of Buenos Aires. Satire and defamation, body painting, dance, street music, humor, costumes, masks and mockery, are some of the characteristics that accompanied it through time.
The difference between the carnaval porteño and the other carnivals of the north is notorious in the way of singing and dancing. The use of the bass drum and the cymbals as almost the only instruments, and the strong keen of identity from each Buenos Aires neighborhood, combine with the tango and milonga idiosyncrasy from this side of the River Plate. Another important ingredient is the strong social criticism in the lyrics and in the very nature of each Murga (group of performers among dancers and musicians). On the other hand, the carnivals in the Noroeste Argentino (the provinces of Salta and Jujuy) show influences from the celebrations in Bolivia or Peru, and those on the Litoral Argentino (the provinces of Entre Rios and Corrientes) imitate the colourful parades of Brazil. Therefore, all have differences with the characteristics that present the murgas of Buenos Aires, even the Uruguayan.
Every neighborhood has at least one murga, which perform in different Corsos (parades) organized around the city. This year there will be 33 corsos and the cult to Rey Momo (the god of mockery expelled from the mount Olympus for making heavy jokes) will have 107 murgas, and will be held from the 6 of February to the 28.
Among the most numerous murgas is the Murga Los Amantes de La Boca, (with nearly 400 people), Los Chiflados of Boedo and Los Quitapenas. These are some of the more traditional groups that will fill the streets with colour, music and dance.
Protest and entertainment, a combination that set the Rey Momo at odds with the rest of the gods. In this case however, mere mortals can enjoy the ritual of singing and dancing in the carnavales.
For more information regarding where and when, go to:
www.buenosairescarnaval.com.ar
Photo Credit: www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=984982
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