Celebrating Carnaval in Montevideo, Uruguay

Six Months in South America, Part 4

After hiking in southern Patagonia, Kim and I returned to Buenos Aires for a week, went dancing with Lucia and her friends, and then took the ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay for Carnaval.

I’d experienced Caranval in Brazil when I lived in Minas Gerais, but Carnaval in Uruguay was a completely different experience. My favorite part was the presentation of Candombe in the streets of Montevideo. 

Candombe is an Uruguayan musical style and dance that comes from the descendants of liberated Africans in Uruguay. I had read about how people performed in the streets with drums and dancing and was eager to check it out. 

Kim and I wandered around the neighborhood of Barrio Sur, the birthplace of Candombe, searching for a Candombe band, or comparsa. 

We asked locals who told us that they had the iconic celebration of Las Llamadas a few days before. Taking place over the course of two days, Candombe bands parade through the streets with elaborate costumes and painted faces. 

We were crushed we had just missed the parades but continued to wander around the neighborhood and look at the vibrant street art that lined the walls. 

Later that evening, while walking around, we heard drums in the distance. 

We followed the sounds of music winding through Barrio Sur until we saw a small but lively comparsa playing and marching through the neighborhood.  

Later, we learned Montevideo hosts a series of concursos for Carnaval, a kind of competition and performance for singers, dancers, and comedians. We bought tickets and went to an amphitheater within the city to watch the performances.

Carnaval in Uruguay is both a time to celebrate life with dancing, music, and comedy, but also a moment to unwind and share with those around you.

Especially when it comes to mate, an herbal drink made from soaking dried yerba mate leaves in hot water that is popular in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.

After Carnaval, I wrote this in my journal:

A week in Uruguay, a country I knew little about. I’m learning a bit, about Candombe and Carnaval. It’s only a scratch on the surface.

It’s difficult to ever really know and understand a place. 

On the surface, things seem tranquilo, even sleepy. And there’s so much mate.

I thought Argentineans took mate seriously but Uruguayans take it to the next level. It seems no one leaves home without it. They have hot water ready and available at all times. 

It seems peaceful to sit by the sea with your blanket and friends and share some mate. Something simple that lets you enjoy whatever moment you have, wherever you are. 

I love rituals like this; life becomes clearer with friends and these shared moments.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for part 5, when we travel to northern Patagonia and Argentina’s land of lakes.