The Dia do Samba
Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

Dance away those pre-winter blues in Brazil’s samba capital

Many Brazilians says Salvador’s Carnaval is the best in the country, even better than Rio’s.

Come December, North Americans and Europeans seeking one last dose of long days and sultry air might look south to one of Brazil’s most famous run-ups to Carnaval: the Dia do Samba that takes place the first Monday of every December in Salvador de Bahia.

This year, on December 2, tens of thousands of people will take to the streets to samba and party the night away in Salvador’s cidade alta (upper city), the hilly, historic old town that contains the best ensemble of baroque colonial architecture in the Americas. (Because of that architectural richness, the city has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 1985.)

There is more that marks the city’s importance in Brazilian history. It was the country’s first capital and the place where the samba, Brazil’s national dance, was born. After the emancipation of slaves in the 19^th century, many of them became itinerant workers who roamed the countryside in search of odd jobs. At night, gathered together after a long day’s work, they began to improvise and then formalize the steps that became the samba.

In modern times, the city has become the center of black consciousness, leading to the creation of fusion forms of samba music that depart from what you might hear in Rio. Combining elements of funk, reggae and soul into the traditional music, Salvador-style samba is a cognizant attempt to use a powerful cultural symbol to press the concerns of Brazil’s black population onto national consciousness.

That desire reflects a sadder aspect of the city’s history. From the 15^th through 17^th centuries, Salvador was Brazil’s main port of entry for the African slave trade. It remains to this day the pole star for black Brazilians, much in the same way that Harlem does for U.S. blacks.

Today, there is music everywhere in the city. If Salzburg, Austria, has more baroque musicians per capita and per corner than any other city in the world, then Salvador has more samba and samba-derivative musicians than any place on earth. One of the biggest samba bands, Olodum, a group with hundreds of musicians, singers and dancers, performs every Sunday at Pelorinho Square in the upper city

Salvador spreads along the coast, halfway between Rio and Recife, next to an absolutely turquoise Atlantic Ocean. At 15 degrees south of the Equator, the city’s climate is tropical – a temptation to people in the Northern Hemisphere who are contemplating winter’s onset.

If making it to Salvador in December is a stretch, here’s a back-up plan: Head to Salvador just before Lent. Many Brazilians says Salvador’s Carnaval is the best in the country, even better than Rio’s. — Patrick Totty