40 Days of Carnival International Living Postcards--your daily escape Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2007
Montevideo, Uruguay From early December to Easter, Uruguay is in holiday mode. The highlight of summer is Carnival. Montevideo doesn't compare with Rio, but lasting 40 days, this must be one of the longest Carnivals on earth. In December, each neighborhood elects a Carnival queen. Carnival is launched with great pomp a few days later. From then on, the streets of Montevideo are awash with color and rhythm. The two main features of Carnival are the Comparsa and Murga. The Comparsas are groups of Afrodescendents whose Carnival highlight is a parade called the Llamada de las Comparsas. Each Comparsa consists of about 20 flamboyantly-dressed people dancing rhythmically to a three-man drum band. Their music is Candombe, combining African, European, and tango rhythms. Each group has stock characters: the Mama Vieja, (matriarch), the gramillero (doctor), and the Escobero with his divining stick. The Murgas are a form of musical entertainment reminiscent of the Commedia dell'arte. Each group, comprising about 20 people in Harlequin-type costumes, spends months choreographing their songs, commentaries, and dance. Their focus is political satire. During the 1970s dictatorship, they became known as left-wing subversives, using humor to spread their message through coded songs. Both Murgas and Comparsas perform throughout the season on tablados, which are informal stages on street corners. For 40 nights, the Teatro del Verano, an open air theater in the center of Montevideo welcomes the fortunate groups who have reached the stage of the prestigious official competition. Every night, a selection of three groups plays to audiences of up to 5,000. Cash prizes are small, but competition is fierce and prestige high. Montevideans follow the competition with excited anticipation, up to the last night when the judges announce their decision. Last night I paid my first visit to the Teatro del Verano with my friend Rosa. Outdoor stalls sold hamburgers, popcorn, and hot water for the Uruguayan national drink, maté. People milled about with their thermos flasks and calabashes. Kiosks rented out cushions for the hard seats. Children sat clapping atop their fathers' shoulders. As 9 p.m. approached, the theater started filling up, and soon no empty seat remained. I couldn't keep up with all the banter, but I didn't mind--the colorful, happy, noisy show was enough to keep me happy. I spoke to Milagros, a teacher. We were waiting for the highly acclaimed Murga Las Margaritas to appear. It was midnight. "I don't think they'll win, this year," she said. "It'll be Agarrate Catalina again. They're just that bit tighter." "Do you follow all the groups?" "Oh yes--we've have had season tickets for 20 years. In summer we don't go to the seaside; we come here. Every night." "Why?" "I wouldn't miss it for anything. It's like a 40-day movie: the characters, the costumes, the music…it encompasses everything: politics, comedy, passion, suspense…who would want to laze on a beach when you can get all this?" Paola Fornari
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