Text: Clarissa Pacheco – Bahia.com.br
Salvador’s carnival is today the biggest popular festival of the planet. During six days, around 2 million people go along the circuits called Batatinha, Dodô and Osmar. But it hasn’t always been like that. Until the end of the 19th century, the small bourgeois and the elite used to have fun in parades and clubs, with mask balls under the sound of carnival songs.
The names of the circuits are homage to great names of Bahia’s carnival. “It’s a fair homage to Dodô and Osmar, who invented the electric trio, and to Batatinha, one of the great names of Bahia’s samba, a proof that samba started here”, says the historian Manuel Passos, who also defends a tribute to Orlando Campos, creator of Trio Tapajós. “Between 1963 and 1979, when Dodô and Osmar were separated, it was Trio Tapajós that supported Bahia’s carnival. Therefore, I still think that he should receive a homage”, says Passos.
At Baixa dos Sapateiros, the festival of the African descendents happened under the sound of the groups Embaixada Africana and Pândegos D’África. The change really happened in 1950 when the electric trio was created. The arrival of the car with electric guitars and people following it created the first circuit of the festival: Osmar, between Campo Grande and Chile Street. “It was the only circuit and everything was concentrated there. There were the meeting points of the young people and the trios”, explains the historian.
In the beginning of the 1980’s the second circuit, known as Barra-Ondina but officially baptized Dodô, was created. The restoration and the fact that it was listed as Mankind Heritage made the Historical Center the stage of the third circuit, called Batatinha.
Choosing one of the circuits implies in choosing also the time of the day you want to go out and the musical style you prefer. For Passos, Bahia’s carnival has always been the stage of a blend of very rhythm. “Everything is allowed. Once the “Ave Mary” was played at 6:00pm in a trio, with everybody in silence. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever witnessed.”, says Passos.
Osmar – It’s in this circuit that we find the majority of the alternative carnival associations, especially until Sunday. Afro associations, such as Malê Debalê, Muzenza, Bankoma, Ilê Aiyê and Cortejo Afro, and kids’ carnival associations also go along this circuit. From Sunday on, the most traditional carnival associations start to pass this circuit. Ivete Sangalo, Claudia Leitte, Banda Eva and the trio of the Carnival King add joy to this circuit between Campo Grande and Sé Square.
Dodô – The majority of the elite carnival associations goes along this circuit. Asa de Águia, Timbalada, Cheiro de Amor, Ivete Sangalo e a Rainha do Axé and Daniela Mercury are attractions of this circuit. This year, Moraes Moreira will make a show to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the trio.
Batatinha - Levada do Jegue, Filhos e Filhas de Gandhy, Corisco and Carnapelô are some of the main attractions that go along the streets of the Historical Center.
