Uruguayan Carnival is a festival that takes place every year in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

from mid January to late February. The Carnival draws root from

candombe ''Candombe'' is a style of music and dance that originated in Uruguay among the descendants of liberated African slaves. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed ''candombe'' in its Repres ...

Murga Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Montevideo, Uruguay, Panama, Argentina and Badajoz, Spain during the Carnival season. Murga groups also operate in the Buenos Aires Carnival, though to a lesser extent than in Montevideo; ...

and tablados, which are forms of expression of Uruguayan culture through dance and music. From its conception, the Uruguayan Carnival has evolved into a dance parade in which different

comparsa A comparsa is a group of singers, musicians and dancers that take part in carnivals and other festivities in Spain and Latin America. Its precise meaning depends on the specific regional celebration. The most famous comparsas are those that parti ...

s, groups of street performers in Latin American festivals, play the drums and dance at the "Desfile Inaugural del Carnaval" and "Desfile de Llamadas" parade. The biggest carnival celebrations are in the capital Montevideo and can last up to 40 days. They involve a series of cultural events such as dance parades in the streets, street stages called "tablados" and an artistic contest in the "Teatro de Verano" (Summer Theatre) in Montevideo. Desfile de Llamadas

History

The Uruguayan Carnival finds its roots in the colonial period of Uruguayan culture, where the days of Carnival, Christmas, and New Year were celebrated by Montevideans in brightly-coloured robes with song and dance outside city walls. As the event attracted more attention, European carnival traditions began to influence the Carnival celebrations, especially through objects and traditions such as bran and flour shed, shed water syringes, throwing eggs, oranges, or other objects.

Festivities and music

The several festivities of the Carnival include theatrical-musical performances, street music and parades. Amongst these is

, a theatrical-musical genre that consists of a chorus of 14 to 17 people with murga drums. The themes of this musical theatre usually satirically portray the

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

and society of Uruguay. Here, performers have their faces painted and are usually dressed in bright outfits. Lyrical content is based on a particular theme, chosen by the group, which serves to provide commentary on events in Uruguay or elsewhere over the preceding year. Mi Morena - Llamadas 1999

In addition,

Escolas de Samba A samba school ( pt, Escola de samba) is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-compounds ("quadras de samba") and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an Afro-Brazilian ...

is also traditionally performed in the Carnival, principally in regions like Artigas and Montevideo. Utilising Brazilian percussion, dancers and a chorus of people, the performers sing the Samba Enredo.

References

External links

Carnaval del Uruguay

Portal de Murgas

Carnaval del Futuro

* ttp://www.daecpu.org.uy/ Directores Asociados de Espectáculos Carnavalescos Populares de Uruguay
Escola de Samba Imperatriz (Uruguay)
{{Carnival around the world Afro-Uruguayan culture Candombe Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Carnivals in Uruguay Summer events in Uruguay