We are going start a new series within Belavista Carnival Brazil Blog. Following a suggestion of several friends, we decided to publish a glossary of terms of Brazilian Samba. We believe if our readers understand the meaning of some of the expressions, slang, and concepts of the Brazilian samba, the carnival experience can be much more enriching and exciting.

A few posts ago, we explained the function and attributes of the samba schools Drum Queens, or “Rainha de Bateria”, who has a very strategic role in marketing the samba school parade. Today we will explain the function of the most important flank within any Samba School in Rio: the “Baianas” wing. Below we see the picture of a typical Baiana from the Portela Samba School in 2008.



Many of the experts in Samba agrees that the Baianas, a “group of elderly ladies the dance in circles in the parade”, has its roots in the “aunts” of early 20th century Rio de Janeiro. These “aunts” came from the State of Bahia and came to Rio de Janeiro to live neighborhoods like Cidade Nova, Catumbi, Gamboa, and Santo Cristo. They would host and gather musicians in a “sarau” – a cultural and musical event, in which people reunite to express themselves artistically. These old ladies would offer drinks and tasteful foods to composers and musicians. This magical environment would then naturally create the conditions for the development of the first samba rhythms. These old ladies would be much respected for their spiritual knowledge. These ladies would probably be descendants from African tribes like the Nagô, Ioruba, Fula, Mina and Haussá.





The baianas wings in the modern samba schools incorporated the soul of these legendary aunts or “tias”, representing the female power within the samba world. Due to their spiritual authority, generally baianas are older, experienced women. They also have another distinguishing characteristic, which are their traditional marking costumes. Baianas wear multi-layered full “balloon” dresses, lace-trimmed blouses, and stiffened petticoats in addition to thick necklaces, ear-rings, metal armbands. Because of their age, they normally use low sandals.


Another emblematic particularity of the baianas wing is the way they samba. Unlike any another wing or section within the samba school, they dance in spins, rotating their dresses in order to create a unique visual effect. The baianas wing also rehearses to synchronize their spiral movements. One of the most magical moments in all samba parade is exactly when all of the components of the baianas wing simultaneously swirl in a coordinated choreography. This breathtaking climax is closely looked by everyone involved in the parade. Next time in Rio´s Sambadrome, don´t miss the opportunity to participate in the ultimate parade highlight.





This is a non-commercial blog devoted to wonders of Rio de Janeiro, with a focus in Brazilian Carnival. Our sole objective is to describe how Carnival in Brazil is magically created, its artists, dancers and musicians that make up the world’s largest show. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.