Halloween at U of I is a fantastic time. Everyone dresses up with their costumes whether they were planned out, or something that they put together at the last minute. However, I studied abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for six months, and during the months of February and March, there’s a little something called Carnival. So let me tell you about the differences and similarities between Halloween in Champaign and Carnival in the Marvelous City.
COSTUMES
For Halloween everyone dresses up in costumes, and
during Carnival they do the same. But in Brazil, the guys seem to be a little
more open about things. Everywhere on the street you’ll see men in fairy wings
and wearing dresses and this is not uncommon as you see thousands of people
walking down the street with their costumes. One of the best costumes I saw had
to definitely be a guy dressed as Marge from The Simpsons, with the tall blue
hair and green dress. Gender doesn’t seem at all important during Brazil’s
carnival and it’s an opportunity to make some people laugh. I even wore a bra
and a skirt on the last day to fit in and had a great time. American costumes
are a lot more creative, and a lot of times we think outside of the box, while
Brazilians usually stick to clothing that’s easier to walk long distances in.
PARTYING AND DRINKING
Obviously Halloween at UIUC is a time to just get
really drunk in your costumes and maybe go out to a bar or party, but the
drinking during Carnival is on another level. Carnival consists of “Blocos” or
block parties that are held all around the city for weeks straight. The subway
and buses are literally packed to capacity with people pounding beers and
handles of vodka all around the city. The streets are packed with people doing
the exact same thing. (Brazil has no open container laws therefore you can
literally drink anywhere and everywhere.) Streets in the city are blocked off
and there are beer and drinks being sold in the street – all for cheap prices
too.
THE SOCIAL NORMS
I may have made Carnival sound a lot better than
Halloween, but there are some things are pretty different than Halloween in the
USA. In Rio, it’s normal (and kind of acceptable) for a young man to attempt to
kiss girls. A man will take a girl by the hand, which means he wants to kiss
her, and many times, the girl will just keep walking forward and the guy
doesn’t receive a kiss. However, that’s
not to say that some guys don’t get really aggressive in wanting to receive a
kiss, and because of this, they are really persistent. Women just seem to brush
it off and ignore men if they don’t want to make-out in publicly.
Carnival was a great experience overall. It was like the entire city erupted with music, life, and costumes and constant drinking for days straight. Halloween in Champaign may last only one weekend, but I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world. At this school we know how to party hard, and, better yet, it’s with thousands of college-aged kids just trying to have a little fun while chasing our dreams.
