The Rooster of Dawn Opens Carnival in Recife, Brazil
In memory of Enéas Alves Freire (1921-2008).
Galo da Madrugada, or the Rooster of Dawn, is considered the world's largest street Carnival parade. Nearly two million people parade with this Recife bloco, which leaves every Carnival Saturday morning from Forte das Cinco Pontas, a historic Recife landmark.
Trios elétricos, or bands playing atop sound-wired trucks, keep the crowd dancing to frevo. A towering rooster statue slowly makes its way amidst the throngs on the streets of Old Recife.
Participation is free and costumes are not mandatory. In a Carnival 2008 interview to Agência Brasil, Enéas Freire, Galo da Madrugada founder, gave this piece of advice about safety in the bloco: "I recommend to revelers that they come in peace and leave home their more valuable belongings."
Galo da Madrugada founder Enéas Freire loved Recife's street Carnival and as a child he never missed troças and other traditional celebrations. In 1978, he started Galo da Madrugada on a whim, in the company of some friends. People tagged along and the bloco was formed.
Enéas, who died in 2008 at the age of 87, was a Recife legend. The bloco paraded in front of the Clube de Máscaras Galo da Madrugada to honor him, as he waved and greeted the crowd from his office.
In late 2008, the Galo da Madrugada headquarters - Freire's last project - opened in Recife. Called Palácio Enéas Freire, it's a cultural center where people can also buy Galo da Madrugada products. On the first floor, the Varanda do Galo restaurant (open Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) serves home style Northeastern culinary, including bolo de rolo - Recife's famous, extra-fine-layered roll-up cake.
In 2009, Galo da Madrugada was named Intangible Cultural Heritage of Pernambuco.
When: Carnival Saturday, February 14, 2015
Each Carnival, Galo pays homage to Brazilian Northeast artists. This year, the bloco is commemorating songwriter Carlos Fernando, a Caruaru native who died in 2013.
The parade theme is “Asas da América, Asas para o Frevo” ("Wings of America, Wings for Frevo") in a reference to the Asas da América project, designed by Carlos Fernando, a series of frevo recordings by several artists which helped make frevo more popular in all regions of Brazil.
Rua da Concórdia 984
São José
Recife- PE
Phones: 55-81-3224-2899/ 3224-9615
www.galodamadrugada.org.br
twitter.com/galodamadrugada
www.facebook.com/galodamadrugada
The World's Largest Carnival Bloco
Galo da Madrugada, or the Rooster of Dawn, is considered the world's largest street Carnival parade. Nearly two million people parade with this Recife bloco, which leaves every Carnival Saturday morning from Forte das Cinco Pontas, a historic Recife landmark.
Trios elétricos, or bands playing atop sound-wired trucks, keep the crowd dancing to frevo. A towering rooster statue slowly makes its way amidst the throngs on the streets of Old Recife.
Participation is free and costumes are not mandatory. In a Carnival 2008 interview to Agência Brasil, Enéas Freire, Galo da Madrugada founder, gave this piece of advice about safety in the bloco: "I recommend to revelers that they come in peace and leave home their more valuable belongings."
Galo da Madrugada History
Galo da Madrugada founder Enéas Freire loved Recife's street Carnival and as a child he never missed troças and other traditional celebrations. In 1978, he started Galo da Madrugada on a whim, in the company of some friends. People tagged along and the bloco was formed.
Enéas, who died in 2008 at the age of 87, was a Recife legend. The bloco paraded in front of the Clube de Máscaras Galo da Madrugada to honor him, as he waved and greeted the crowd from his office.
In late 2008, the Galo da Madrugada headquarters - Freire's last project - opened in Recife. Called Palácio Enéas Freire, it's a cultural center where people can also buy Galo da Madrugada products. On the first floor, the Varanda do Galo restaurant (open Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) serves home style Northeastern culinary, including bolo de rolo - Recife's famous, extra-fine-layered roll-up cake.
In 2009, Galo da Madrugada was named Intangible Cultural Heritage of Pernambuco.
Galo da Madrugada Parade 2015
When: Carnival Saturday, February 14, 2015
Each Carnival, Galo pays homage to Brazilian Northeast artists. This year, the bloco is commemorating songwriter Carlos Fernando, a Caruaru native who died in 2013.
The parade theme is “Asas da América, Asas para o Frevo” ("Wings of America, Wings for Frevo") in a reference to the Asas da América project, designed by Carlos Fernando, a series of frevo recordings by several artists which helped make frevo more popular in all regions of Brazil.
Galo da Madrugada Address & Contact Information
Rua da Concórdia 984
São José
Recife- PE
Phones: 55-81-3224-2899/ 3224-9615
www.galodamadrugada.org.br
twitter.com/galodamadrugada
www.facebook.com/galodamadrugada
Source...