Frevo and samba unite in Galinho de Brasília.

Yara Aquino – Reporter for Agência Brasil

Frevo and samba came together at Galinho de Brasília, a traditional bloco that has been enlivening the city's carnival for 25 years. Although frevo is the rhythm that drives the bloco, inspired by Galo da Madrugada in Recife, the party today (25) had the participation of the bateria of the samba school Associação Recreativa Unidos do Cruzeiro (Aruc). Pandeiro, tamborim, passistas and porta-bandeira warmed up the public who then danced to the sound of frevo.

People of all ages were present at the parade from the moment they gathered, around 15 pm. There was no shortage of costumes with colorful wigs, headbands with bunny and cat ears, women with mustaches, men dressed as women, confetti and streamers.

The crowd cheered to the samba played by the Aruc drum section at the start of the Galinho parade, and around 18 pm the frevo began, played by an orchestra and danced with traditional colorful umbrellas. Then, the parade set off, followed by the crowd, towards the Asa Sul neighborhood.

"Galinho's strength is frevo. We're going to showcase the music with street frevo, bloco frevo, frevo song, with the orchestra, and we also have the passista with his umbrella in an almost perfect symbiosis between the body and the spirit of frevo," says the founder and advisor of Galinho, Romildo de Carvalho.

The Galinho de Brasília (Little Rooster of Brasília) started in 1992 when a group of friends couldn't go to Recife to enjoy Carnival at the famous Galo da Madrugada parade and decided to "import" a bit of the Recife bloco's (Carnival group's) festivities to Brasília. Romildo de Carvalho recounts that the party began with just over a hundred participants and grew from there.

Kely Santana, a 33-year-old bank employee, is one of the people who contributes to the growing audience of Galinho. Dressed as a cangaceira (a female member of the Brazilian banditry movement), she says she went to the bloco (carnival group) for the first time four years ago and hasn't missed a Galinho carnival since. "It's a bloco that brings families together, from babies to grandmothers. In recent years, Brasília's carnival has improved a lot, and we have to take advantage of this beautiful celebration in our city," she said.

At 67 years old, Jorge Chula, a samba dancer from Aruc, also celebrates the lively atmosphere of Brasília's Carnival. He performed with the samba school and celebrated Aruc's participation in Galinho. Jorge Chula recounts that when he arrived in Brasília in the 70s, there wasn't a street carnival like there is today. "If there were any blocos (street carnival groups), they were only in bars; now, yes, we have carnivals like Galinho and other blocos that guarantee a great party for the people of Brasília."

With reduced sponsorship this year due to the financial crisis, Galinho de Brasília is running a campaign to raise funds to help with the festival through the sale of t-shirts and online contributions. "At a time when there's no government support, which we understand is difficult, it's important that everyone helps to make the festival happen," says the block's founder, Romildo de Carvalho.

Even with the rain that fell shortly before the Galinho parade, the organizers estimated that up to 80 people would pass through the parade on Saturday, until the end of the festivities. According to the Public Security Secretariat of the Federal District, by 18 pm Galinho had gathered around 2 people. Another parade that attracted revelers today in the Federal District was Babydoll de Nylon. According to the secretariat, it drew 160 people.

On Monday (27), Galinho will parade again with the gathering in the South Autarchies Sector. “We call on people to come with this disposition to have a peaceful carnival, with lots of peace and bringing the family,” said Carvalho.