St. Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love in the form of coexistence, tolerability and human affection. But that was yesterday. It is now time to focus on another holiday that encompasses love. It is Carnival, and it celebrates the love of life.
Countries around the world celebrate the season that comes before Lent. The epicenter of the U.S. celebration is New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which comes on the final day of Carnival, the day before Ash Wednesday (five days from now). The pre-Lent merriment began in Roman-Catholic Europe; the most recognized literal meaning of Carnival is “the removal of meat,” an early example of the sacrificial 40 days of Lent that precedes Easter. Throughout the modern world, Carnival has become the most symbolic holiday of cooperative human life because it resonates the colonized world, sacrifice and self-expression on a global scale
Not to mention, it can be one hell of a time.
I had a boss Carnival experience in 2004. I was lucky enough to be invited to join San Francisco-based SambAsia, which blends Rio de Janeiro samba drumming and Japanese folk traditions, at Carnaval San Francisco. I marched side-step-by-side-step for two hours, pounding on a timba drum in front of thousands of spectators and multiple camera crews. The rest of the day is hazy. I drank beer on the city’s sidewalks, saw some Latin-based bands playing downtown, played soccer on the streets with some youngsters and took a short nap on the couch of an Emmy-winner before making it back to my dorm room.
For anyone looking for a similarly good time, Carnival Brasil! will take place at Cozmic Pizza on Saturday night from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Those who have not put on their dancing shoes for a night of live Brazilian rhythms should attend. Brazilian Carnival is an electrifying scene no matter where it is celebrated. (The event is $8 for students, $10 for others; it is a fundraiser to earn $1500 for school tuition for a poor Brazilian or Tanzanian child).
Like many Carnival celebrations around the world, the Carnaval San Francisco was a cultural marvel. Individuals and groups prepared for months to show off their abilities in the areas of music, design and fashion. In places like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago, professionals work year-round to master the artistic expression of their society’s culture and history through music, fashion and float construction. To them, it is part of life.
The American version of Carnival is touted as a booze-drenched bash with an emphasis on transactions of cheap beads for an upstairs peep-show that may end up on a Girls Gone Wild tape. The debauchery linked to Mardi Gras is sure to unfold at local bars and college house parties through Tuesday night. Tradition says that in the following days we must indulge in song, drink and promiscuous behavior, and I believe in staying with tradition. Around these parts, however, celebrations are confined mostly indoors, unlike other cities nationwide where Carnival is a community celebration.
There are no citywide Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations (according to mardigrasdigest.com) in the state of Oregon. The city of Eugene could inject a needed dose of camaraderie to the community with an annual festival. A Carnival-style parade and festival in Eugene and the University would be a nice worldly supplement to the community that could broaden perspectives in these diversity-deprived parts.
It’s up to you students to get the ball rolling. Do your best to make this the wildest buildup to Lent this city has seen. Paint the town green, gold, purple, orange and any other color necessary and create a social performance in the coming days with the exuberance and spirit that Carnival has worldwide.
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