CLUBES DE FREVO
BACKGROUND - Its procession is very similar to the Lenten processions of Cinzas and Fogaréus, common to Recife in the 18th century, bearing the standard (flag) typical of medieval corporations, with its members wearing silk, flannel pants and cords with the badge of the profession. The professional corporations that existed in the last century, remnants of the first centuries of our colonization, gave rise to the clubes de frevo or carnival clubs, which during carnival took to the streets to take a walk, singing and dancing in visits to the houses of friends where they ate and drank, in a euphoria common to that time.
FORMATION - The carnival club has its procession opened by bugles, followed by the directorate, the devils wing, the bats wing, the standard-bearers dressed in a Luiz XV fashion, who take turns wielding the biggest symbol of the association, president and bridesmaid, front ladies, costumes highlighting the plot, wing of dancers, two cords that evolve “making step” around the entire ensemble, orchestra director and orchestra.
FREVO - The march that had in its beginnings a tempo more similar to the dobrado, gained innovative elements of the polka and the military march and over the years, transformed itself into the Pernambucan frevo, transfiguring the old associations of the 19th century. in the carnival clubs of our days. The club drew the attention of capoeiras, common in the parades of military bands who, making complicated steps created the choreography of frevo, which people from Pernambuco call “passo”.
CLUBES CARNAVALESCOS MISTOS OR CLUBES DE FREVO:
Das Pás - founded in 1888
Vassourinhas - founded in 1889
Lenhadores - founded in 1897
Amantes das Flores - founded in 1919
Prato Misterioso - founded in 1919
Toureiros de Santo Antônio –founded in 1924
Transporte em Folia – founded in 1936
These are some of the carnival clubs still active in Pernambuco’s carnival festivities.
TROÇAS CARNAVALESCAS MISTAS
BACKGROUND - The troça carnavalesca mista is a smaller clube de frevo that starts early in the morning, plays in the streets of downtown or the suburbs, until the early hours of the afternoon. These carnival groups originated from simple games, in which the critical spirit of the revelers themselves is implicit, as shown by the meaning of the verb troçar: to mock, to ridicule, characterizing the psychology of these groups. The troças are divided by the Federação Carnavalesca Pernambucana into first, second and third categories. And there are others that, as they are not affiliated, do not belong to any divisions. They are the joy of the suburbs, sometimes called “dust raisers”. They cheer up the street carnival during the day and sometimes make presentations with more luxury and better orchestras than the clubes de carnaval themselves.
TROÇAS CARNAVALESCAS
Cachorro do Homem do Miúdo - founded in 1910
Missangueira - founded in 1915
Destemidos de Campo Grande - founded in 1921
O Bagaço - founded in 1929
Coqueirinho em Folia - founded in 1937
Verdureiras de São José - founded in 1939
These are some of the troças carnavalescas in activity in Pernambuco’s carnival festivities.
BLOCOS CARNAVALESCOS
BACKGROUND - Of all the manifestations that make up the great folkloric mosaic of Recife’s carnival, none surpasses the lyricism of the blocos. Unlike the clubes carnavalescos, which had their origins in professional corporations, the blocos carnavalescos emerged from family gatherings in the neighborhoods of São José, Santo Antônio and Boa Vista, among others, as an extension of the cribs and ranches of kings, back in the 1920’s, in the city of Recife. The first bloco founded was Flores Brancas, in 1921, which after two years of life changed its name to Bloco das Flores. Its headquarters were in Praça Sérgio Loreto, in the house of its founder Salgado Filho; and the director of its orchestra was Raul Moraes. The bloco provided conditions for women to participate in Recife’s street carnival, far from mixing with the crowd used to accompanying clubes de frevo. It was usually formed by girls and ladies of the so-called middle class who, not being able to participate in the hall carnival of the Clube Recreativo Internacional and the Jockey Club, then a privilege of the elites, went out to the streets protected by a rope, under strict parental, marital, filial, of sons-in-law, fiancés, friends and family surveillance.
FORMATION - Already accustomed to the journey of the shepherds, the cribs and the processions of burning of nativity scenes, the women also formed the choir of the bloco de carnaval, while men were in charge of the orchestra, very typical of the soirees and serenades of the time, formed by guitars, violins, cavaquinho, banjos, mandolins, flutes, clarinets, double bass, harmonicas, tambourines and percussion. A whistle followed by a unisonous chord from the entire orchestra, announced the beginning of the performance of the march of bloco, with its instrumental introduction, with a slow tempo that was followed by the part sung by the choir of voices, in a tempo very similar to the Brazilian pastoril.
EVOLUTION - EVOLUTION - The ensemble is opened by a poster (flabelo), whose allegory bears the name and symbol of the bloco, followed by the directorate, the front ladies, the featured costumes, the cordão of men and women who perform evolution seeking to open the crowd, chorus of voices and orchestra. Usually the bloco brings a plot in its costumes, but unlike the samba schools, the compositions sung by the ensemble have nothing to do with the story, which is told through the costumes. In the rescue of the lyricism of the old blocks among others there are: Bloco da Saudade, Bloco das Ilusões and Bloco Aurora de Amor.
BLOCOS CARNAVALESCOS MISTOS
Flor da Lira - founded in 1920
Flor da Magnólia - founded in 1924
Madeiras do Rosarinho - founded in 1926
Apôis Fun - founded in 1929
Banhistas do Pina - founded in 1932
Batutas de São José - founded in 1932
These are some carnival blocks that made or make up the carnival of Pernambuco.
Recife, March 19, 2020.
how to quote this text
LIMA, Cláudia M. de Assis Rocha. Recife's Urban Transportation. In: PESQUISA Escolar. Recife: Joaquim Nabuco Foundation, 2020. Available at: https:https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/artigo/trocas-carnavalescas/. Accessed on: month day year. (Ex.: 6 ago. 2020)