They cannot enjoy all the majesty of a parade at the Rio de Janeiro sambadrome but are content with what they see from afar and behind the scenes. They cannot afford entry to the temple of the best samba “escolas” in Brazil.
The parades of the Grupo Especial, the highest category of samba companies of the South American giant, are considered the greatest outdoor spectacle in the world due to the creativity, brightness and color with which they illuminate the over 700 meters from the rising dance floor.
Each year at 22:00 local time (01:00 GMT) a thunderous fireworks display announces the start of the parades which will be seen by nearly 100,000 people at the sambadrome.
Apart from the gigantic mass of cement, a massive group manage to see them from afar, even if that means nearly ten hours of their time between moving and waiting for the show.
It is an improvised platform for those who have to choose between paying for one of the cheapest tickets and walking back, or finding a place nearby to be able to return home, even if it is difficult. is a trip including public transport and pirates. .
The cheapest tickets to see the best of them ranged from $2.8 to $173 in the grandstand, but costs could reach $1,923 in private booths where big-name artists perform and attendees can enjoy a varied gastronomy, a beauty salon and even a gym.
NEXT TO THE SMELLING WATER
The makeshift grandstand is separated by the Maracana River, which is more like a sewer pipe whose stench intensifies in the summer.
Some sit on the edge and sway their feet to the sambas they hear in the distance. Others carry beach chairs so they can relax and endure the marathon parades that last until sunrise.
Most, however, see them standing behind those who arrived early to secure a good spot.
Rosángela Rangel, a 55-year-old housewife, is among those looking to arrive early to get a good view. She lives in Paciencia, one of the communities of Campo Grande, a remote and huge neighborhood in the suburbs of Rio.
“As I usually cannot buy a ticket for the grandstand or a cabin due to my purchasing power, I prefer to come here. Together with my son, we bring or buy a snack and we see them from here,” said he told EFE.
It takes her more or less two hours from her home to the sambadrome, where she arrived five hours before the start of the show.
Despite the journey – which involves carrying chairs, drinks and some food – his son Wellington says the art seen in the parades is “worth all the work to come and see it”.
RAIN OF WALKERS
But if the “lanche” of Rosángela and his son leaves them hungry or thirsty, a variety of street vendors will be at their disposal even for a “drink” different from beer, the drink most consumed during carnival, or a craving .
For 30 years, doña Doroteia has been going damnedly to the sambadrome with her husband at the Special Group parades to sell sweet delicacies from Brazil such as corn cake and “Cuscuz de tapioca”, a typical dessert from Bahia (northeast) prepared with cassava starch and served with condensed milk and grated coconut.
With the sales “we survive”, confides this 61-year-old woman, who takes the opportunity to have fun while working.
“Yes, it’s good to work here even if we don’t see the parades well because they are inside, but from here we also enjoy, we see the floats. We work and have fun in same time.” he told GLM.