Let’s say you want to express your discontent with politicians, tell the world how much you love the Tour de France, defend your interests as an individual with special needs or wear a mix of scraps from every Carnival costume you've ever owned.
You could do all that in Mudança do Garcia.
Nothing in the Salvador Carnival can compare to Mudança do Garcia, one of the most irreverent blocos, or (dis)organized Carnival groups to ever hit the city's streets.
The razzmatazz gathers thousands of people every Carnival Monday in a parade that has no cordoning, no trios elétricos, no abadás (bloco "uniforms") – only people from all walks of life dancing freely and giving vent to their protests, as if on some sort of slow-moving and festive collective soapbox.
Music in Mudança do Garcia is brass bands playing marchinhas de Carnaval, or Carnival classics. You might know at least one of them – "Mamãe eu Quero" (think Carmen Miranda).
All the aforementioned causes were present in the 2008 Mudança do Garcia parade.
Homemade banners and posters were all over the place. People on wheelchairs demanded inclusiveness and accessibility. The celebration of the Tour de France was a few words scribbled on a piece of construction paper held by a dancing guy in light clothes, while the man in the mix of past Carnival costumes looked like a multicolored mammoth in the relentless afternoon heat.
What Does "Mudança do Garcia" Mean?
Mudança means both "moving" as in "moving truck" or "change" in Portuguese.
So, at first glance, the name of the bloco could mean both something like Moving from Garcia or Garcia's Change, which suits its profile and possible origin just fine.
How Did Mudança do Garcia Get Started?
I really want to know too. It was the 1930s and Brazil was under one of its dictatorships - the Getúlio Vargas era. A prostitute moved away from the Garcia district, all dressed up on a horsecart, calling the neighbors' attention.
And/or Mudança do Garcia is the heir to Faxina do Garcia, the Garcia Cleanup, which cleaned the district after the Carnival mess in the 1950s.
If you have the definitive answer to this mystery, please tell me in our forum as soon as possible.
Mudança do Garcia Shakes Up Campo Grande
Now Mudança do Garcia leaves Garcia and goes to Campo Grande, where there are bleachers and an organized Carnival structure.
Mudança do Garcia arrives, to much joy, lingers, with its 20,000 or so revelers, and doesn't leave on cue. Any semblance of the punctuality so fervently desired by Carnival parade organizers is gone; the other blocos complain.
Someone says that's a sign that people in the bleachers are enjoying the free, messy, democratic display before them, which probably indicates a need for spontaneous Carnival that's not being met by other events.
That's how I feel. However, I have one big complaint about Mudança do Garcia: I think riding horses or donkeys in the bloco - yes, some people do that, believe it or not - is a violation of animal rights and should be forbidden.
And even that, I know, would be a welcome protest on a banner in Mudança do Garcia.
