Montevideo – Carnival is here!
30 Jan
Carnival has officially begun in Montevideo. It was all a bit underwhelming and I kind of forgot it even happened. Like when you buy a bag of Maltesers on the way home from the pub then suddenly remember their existence two days later. Does that actually happen to anyone else? Anyway, the opening ceremony had its moments but suffered from being very drawn out. Tickets had been sold for front row seats which meant all the cheapskates had to do with crowing over from a distance, and as there wasn’t really enough acts to warrant five hours of parading it all seemed a bit uneventful. I managed to stick it out for two hours before the heat and boredom crept in. There just wasn’t enough candombe and the groups which call themselves humoristas and pariodistas may just be some of the most unfunny human beings I have lied my eyes on. I have found men wearing chicken costumes funnier. It will all improve though! Next week features two whole days of Candombe and after that mini stages will be erected in every neighbourhood and there will be performances every night for the following 40 days, of which I will most likely be around for about 2. It’s the longest carnival in the world! I’m not sure if anyone is really that bothered though!
This is what it looked like:
Candombe during Carnival
hey
it looks quite exciting!
i think you are spoilt maybe by the quantity.
hav you ever been in sneinton when all the bikers ride through….that’s mental! like a stealth carnival.
what’s a candombe?
x
What’s Candombe? You need to get with it! It’s only the official rhythm of Uruguay, they’re always at it. Never do I walk out on the streets without some fellow passing by me with a fat ol’ drum. It’s pretty spectacular. I’m writing an article about an all-female candombe group at the moment, they’re pretty much the best group out there, they do these crazy little african beats every now again and have metal bottle tops strapped all round their legs for that bit of extra jangle. It’s surprising how far a bit of extra jangle can take you in this world!