Foto: madeiraesquecida
CURIOSITIES curiosidades
CARNIVAL IN MADEIRA
+ P. 36
Artigo continua:
Memories of the Old Days
The most common thing was to see small groups of masked people parading through the streets, in an orderly and peaceful way. People created their own disguises, paintings, masks, shenanigans
O Carnaval na Madeira tem história, remontando aos finais do século XIX, quando as ruas se enchiam de pessoas disfarçadas com roupas velhas e a face pintada de fuligem, contrastando com os bailes privados, cujas máscaras dos participantes se inspiravam em personalidades reconhecidas, profissões ou objectos. No século XX os festejos de rua tomaram proporções tão negativas, que as autoridades viram-se obrigadas a lançar algumas proibições. Contudo, os bailes privados mantiveram-se e acabaram até por crescer, com a abertura de salões de festas como no Ateneu Comercial, Teatro Municipal e no Solar D. Mécia.
With the growth of Tourism, after the 1970s, thematic dances began to be organized in the most iconic hotels in Funchal, such as the Savoy, Reid's Palace, among others. Carnival processions then extended to the main streets of Funchal.
Na década de setenta, os famosos bailes passaram a ser organizados por cadeias de hotéis como o Reid’s Palace e o Savoy. Atualmente, a celebração do Carnaval voltou às ruas com uma nova cara e organização, tornando-se internacionalmente reconhecida como Festas de Carnaval da Madeira. Na Madeira sempre se comemorou o Carnaval com grande folia. Anteriormente à década de 70, a Rua da Carreira, no Funchal, era palco de um cortejo alusivo ao Carnaval, que se organizava de forma quase espontânea, onde o Carnaval era festejado de uma forma um pouco anárquica e nem sempre era pacífico, pois decorriam batalhas de ovos e farinha, além de focos de conflitos. O mais comum era ver pequenos grupos de mascarados, a desfilar pelas ruas, de forma ordeira e pacífica. As pessoas criavam os seus próprios disfarces, pinturas, máscaras, travessuras e assim saíam à rua, num espírito de festa e de brincadeira. As famílias faziam malassadas (espécie de fritos de abóbora ou batata doce, um género de sonhos mais denso) com mel de cana sacarina e era tradição oferecer aos convidados e aos mascarados. Celebravam-se também bailes temáticos, de acordo com os acontecimentos sociais daquela época. Com o crescimento do Turismo, após a década de 70, os bailes temáticos passaram a ser organizados nos hotéis mais icónicos do Funchal, como o Savoy, o Reid’s Palace, entre outros. Os cortejos de Carnaval estenderam-se depois às principais ruas do Funchal.
Foto: madeiraesquecida
In Madeira, Carnival was always celebrated with great revelry. Before the 1970s, Rua da Carreira, in Funchal, was the scene of a procession alluding to Carnival, which was organized almost spontaneously, where Carnival was celebrated in a somewhat anarchic way and was not always peaceful, because egg battles took place and flour, as well as outbreaks of conflict.
Families made roasted (kind of pumpkin or sweet potato fried, a genus of denser dreams) with sugar cane honey (in Madeira there is the production of sugarcane and soon from the subproducts that extract so, such as brandy, molasses - here nicknamed sugarcane honey - and in the past there were sugar factories) and it was tradition to offer guests and masked people. Thematic dances were also celebrated, according to the social events of that time.
Foto: madeiraesquecida
However, private dances continued and ended up growing, with the opening of ballrooms such as the Commercial Athenaeum, Municipal Theater and Solar D. Mécia. In the seventies, the famous dances began to be organized by hotel chains such as Reid's Palace and the Savoy. Currently, the carnival celebration has returned to the streets with a new face and organization, becoming internationally recognized as Madeira Carnival Festivals.
Memórias de outros tempos
Foto: madeiraesquecida
In the 20th century street celebrations took such negative proportions, that the authorities were forced to launch some bans.
O Carnaval na Madeira
and so they went out on the street in a spirit of celebration and play.
Foto: madeiraesquecida
The Carnival in Madeira has history, dating back to the late 19th century, when the streets filled with people disguised in old clothes and the face painted with soot, contrasting with private dances, whose masks of the participants were inspired by recognised personalities, professions or objects.
13
