Marechal Hermes was a neighborhood founded on May 1, 1913, by Marechal Hermes da Fonseca, the President of the Republic at the time. Since then, many events have taken place in the neighborhood, and our work will bring memories about them - such as the carnival of that era, the parades of the samba schools, shows by residents, and much more.
Carnival:
The Marechal carnivals attracted revelers from all over Rio de Janeiro, who came to watch the parades of the blocos and, especially, the bate-bolas. Some parades featured groups such as União de Marechal, Estamos aí, Dona Beleza, Cobra Fumando, Cabeça Ruída, Revelação de Marechal, and many others.
At Marã Tênis Clube, on Rua Professor Carlos Chagas, a contest between the carnival groups decided who had the best costume, which group was liveliest, and who had the best original song. Our group talked to a resident of Marechal about these events.
And it wasn't just any resident, it was Marcos Veiga, president of the Associação Cultural Encontros Musicais (Clube da Esquina de Marechal) and executive producer of the band Certas Canções. He told us that "some groups would dress up as doctors and arrive at the balls by ambulance; others, as prisoners, and arrive in the police van. It was a real party, worthy of the best parades and imagination."
as músicas de autoria dos grupos eram sucessos. Ainda tenho na memória uma das vencedoras, cujos autores são os irmãos Beto & Jairo. Ainda hoje são cantadas em reuniões dos amigos da época, vai aí um trecho da letra: Ajacu é um pássaro normal, Ajacu no Pau veio brincar o Carnaval, Ajacu, Ajacu
Carnival group at Marã Tênis Clube. Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a group of people dressed in traditional costumes, possibly for a party or celebration. The image shows an organized formation, with the participants arranged in rows. At the front, some men hold musical instruments, such as saxophones and trumpets, while others carry flags. Everyone is wearing tall hats and colorful clothing, predominantly white and black.The event packed the streets and also featured the famous Banda de Marechal — also known as "A Furiosa" —, which paraded in the afternoon, at the matinees. The most played songs were marchinhas and samba enredos.
Marechal Band – “A Furiosa”. Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a music band. At the top, there is a banner with the text "A BANDA DE MARECHAL SAUDA SUA GENTE." The spatial arrangement shows the band members organized in three rows. In the first row, the musicians are seated, all wearing white uniforms. In the second row, the musicians are standing, also wearing white uniforms. In the third row, there are more people standing, some holding flags. Everyone appears to be smiling and posing for the photo.Bate-bolas:
The bate-bolas were one of the main events of carnival in Marechal Hermes, and every time they went out, the streets would be packed. People loved watching the groups of masked men, with costumes as beautiful as they were frightening, wearing bulky jumpsuits, gloves, socks, and coats with some kind of design. Their departure was marked by a big fireworks display (sometimes with a bit of gunfire too), with sound systems and a big party. Afterward, they walked through the streets banging their bolas on the ground, giving meaning to the name. Some of these bate-bolas groups are Amizade, Agonia, Magnata, and Zorra Total. However, there were some groups that found the bolas too loud and aggressive, and ended up replacing them with little umbrellas.
In Marechal, the bate-bolas have always been a benchmark, and Marcos Veiga spoke more about this topic: "Groups of bate-bolas, a costume considered one of the most traditional here in the neighborhood, had Rua Aurélio Valporto as, practically, their headquarters, where the costumes were sold. It was very beautiful to see, they were huge groups. The Velhas and Gorilas de Osvaldo Cruz groups can be considered the biggest of my time, and they're still active".
"Grupo das Velhas" group. Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: The image is a photograph of a group of people dressed in colorful costumes, posing in front of a bus. On the left side, there is a man sitting in a wheelchair, holding a blue and white umbrella. In front of him stand other individuals, also wearing festive outfits in vibrant colors, mainly pink and blue. They are holding large umbrellas decorated with floral patterns. In the background, there is a large bus with the sign "CASTELO" and the number "378" visible on top. The scene appears to be from a festive or cultural event, possibly related to local culture.Shows:
In the past, the neighborhood's stage for shows was the Armando Gonzaga theater, where several artists have performed, such as Zé Ramalho, Nana Caymmi, Cláudio Nucci, Ivan Lins, Célia Vaz, Carlos Lyra, and even actors and actresses, such as Fernanda Montenegro, Costinha, and Fernanda Torres.
Marcos Veiga and his friends founded the Associação Cultural Encontros Musicais - the Clube de Esquina of Marechal - which revived the neighborhood's anniversary date, registered on the City Hall's official calendar. Other achievements of the Association included the creation of the "Encontros Musicais" project at the Teatro Armando Gonzaga and the "Agosto do Samba," which brought together many artists from the world of samba and MPB. Every week, musician Sergio Procópio would invite artists to perform at the theater. Among them were Monarco, Zé Cruz, Marquinhos PQD, Wilson Moreira, Nelson Sargento, Marquinhos de Osvaldo Cruz, Diana Pequeno, Rui Maurity, Carlos Dafé, Tunai and many more.
Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: This is an aerial photograph of a sports complex located in a green area. On the left side, we see a curved road that extends toward the center of the image. In the center, there is a large body of water with several structures around it, including ramps and platforms. On the right, there is an area with several tents and parked vehicles. The background features more green areas and a circular structure. The predominant color is the green of the plants, contrasting with the gray asphalt of the roads and the turquoise blue water of the lake. There is no visible text in the image.With so much joy, the friends decided to kick off the foundation anniversary festivities and recorded the CD "Marechal Hermes - 90 anos de Encontros Musicais," inviting musicians, composers, and singers from the neighborhood. They revived songs of various styles: sambas, choros and chorinhos, rock, blues, and bossa nova. In doing so, the musical influences of artists such as Luperce Miranda (considered one of the greatest mandolin players in the world), Osmar do Cavaco (Velha Guarda da Portela), and Cristóvão Bastos (classical and popular conductor and pianist) were recovered.
Musical Encounters. Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: This is a photograph of a musical event. In the central part, a woman is singing into a microphone, wearing a floral-patterned blouse and black pants. Behind her, there is a banner with the text "Convenções Musicais" and "Música." To her right, a man plays guitar, wearing a red and white striped shirt. In the background, there is a third musician playing wind instruments. The decor includes elements such as a bus and a logo with the text "30."September 7th parades:
Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph showing a procession of a marching band. The image is faded, with details that are difficult to make out. On the left, we see people watching the procession. In the center, the band members are in uniform, holding wind instruments. On the right, there are more people watching the event. In the background, there is a classical building and trees.The school parades on September 7th took place at Vila Militar and featured most of the neighborhood's public and private schools, such as Escolas Evangelina Duarte Batista, Santos Dumont, Carneiro Felipe, José Acioli, Colégio Marechal Hermes, Américo de Oliveira, and Visconde de Mauá. Our interviewee, Marcos Veiga, reports that each school's traditional uniforms were worn and the flag bearers wore formal dress. The bands were from Visconde de Mauá and Américo de Oliveira.
Source: Marcos Veiga
Image description: This is a photograph of a procession or parade. The image shows a row of people walking in formation, wearing white uniforms and black pants. On the left, participants are carrying Brazilian flags. On the right, an individual holds a white flag with a green and blue symbol. The background reveals an urban street with buildings and a few people watching the event.All images were taken from the collection of Marcos Veiga, President of the Associação Cultural Encontros Musicais (Clube da Esquina de Marechal) and Executive Producer of the band Certas Canções.
We thank Marcos Veiga and André Luis Mansur for their support of the work.
