Tails of Brasil--The Night Before Christmas

[Guest Gringo]

For the many new Brasil devotees, I post again a rememberance of the night before Christmas.

 

The friends I am staying with want to take me to their parental home in a place called "Bangu" about a two hour ride north of Rio. There, they assured me, I would find the real Brasil----not the tourists of Copacabana. As we wait for the bus, small children light fireworks all around us. This is a common practice in Rio. They have not seen the film of fingers being blown off like a watermelon that we have in America. Children as young as 5 or 6 have access to these small fireworks and they enjoy throwing them near where people are standing--like waiting for a bus. When they explode, surprising the unsuspecting people, they scream with laughter!! They think it’s cute. I wonder if a new revolution has begun! But they laugh with such joy at their prank. I might also mention that they are also kind of altered. A child may purchase a beer easily. Some of them also sniff glue. So with the combination, they often have quite a little buzz going.

 

The bus to Bangu finally arrives. It is crowded with people hurrying to get home to their families before midnight. I am lucky. I get a seat after standing, pressed too close to someone I don’t really know, for only a few minutes. Then the magic of Brasil happens for me again. A young man sitting in front of me is wearing a shirt with 3 buttons. Do you remember those shirts? Two buttons on the collar points and one more behind the neck. I'm sure he is dressed in high fashion for Christmas Eve, but for me, it’s a trip back to the past. When was the last time you saw such a shirt?

 

The bus grinds to another stop for more passengers. Vendors immediately rush up to the sides of the bus selling sodas and beers. The trick is to quickly pass one real out the window as they hand up the drink. Both drinking and smoking are permitted on the bus. Such a democratic country. We round another corner much too fast and I hear someone's radio playing "Poison Ivy." Traffic lights exist, but they are an ignored suggestion at best.

 

Ednildo's family receives me warmly with only minutes to spare before Christmas arrives. Many family and friends are talking happily. The tree is lovely with presents stacked high beside it. There is a lot of food I am unfamiliar with---more adventure for my tasting. The music is wway too loud and several people are dancing. The popular dance right now is called "pagode." Its kind of an extreme form of what we would call "shake your booty." With no hesitation or reservation, the dancers squat as if to take a dump, put their hands on their knees, smile coquettishly and shake their asses for all their worth! It’s really quite erotic. I am a visitor----I smile politely.

 

A very large woman arrives with a beautiful smile. She has forced her considerable body into some kind of spandex outfit wway too small for her. But she looks good with her big smile. She is wearing the smallest shoes I have ever seen. They are transparent, kind of like Cinderella’s I guess, and all I can see is the clear spike heel. Theresa jumps right onto the dance floor, squats into the position of pagode and shakes it suggestively!! The crowd is impressed and applauds with delight at her talents. Her face is dripping with sweat, but her joy and enthusiasm are WONDERFUL. We had a couple of dances together, but I am no match for her skills. I tell her that I am old and do not dance well. She says the streets are old, but I am not! I'll go along with her approach for now. Small children on the street throw their fireworks onto the dance floor as the dancers tiptoe around the explosives. The music is wway too loud and the dancing continues until around 3am.

 

Ednildo was right. There were no tourists like there are in Copacabana. Did I find the real Brasil? Maybe another piece of a beautiful mosaic. I take a few aspirin before passing out on the sofa. Feliz natal e próspero ano novo para tudo. :+