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The history of Copacabana Part III
In less than two decades it was checked the need of opening new tunnels inside the district. The first, opened in 1960, connected Rua Barata Ribeiro to Rua Raul Pompéia, nowadays named Túnel Sá Freire Alvim. That was a year of great modifications, which aim at the improvement of the traffic in Copacabana.
The President Juscelino Kubitschek was celebrating the fourth year of his Government and Rio de Janeiro would not be the capital of the Country anymore, because the inauguration of Brasília was already prepared to be in April 21st, 1960. In January 30th, after the inauguration of the highway of Aterro do Flamengo, the President Kubitschek with the Mayor of the District, Sá Freire Alvim, inaugurated the duplication of the Princesa Isabel Avenue making possible the link of
túnel Marques Porto or New Tunnel with Atlântica Avenue in more than one way. To make possible the duplication of the Avenue, it was necessary the implosion of a building, the first in town. After that, the official entourage went to another inauguration, this time, of the
tunnel that connected Barata Ribeiro Street and
Raul Pompéia street, where the President made a speech, remembering that he had already been a Copacabana resident.
After the changing of the Federal District to Goiás and the Capital to Brasília, Rio de Janeiro resented because all the official agencies, state departments, Câmara and Senate moved to the new Capital and consequently, Copacabana suffered the effects caused by the impact in the city. I want to be poor without leaving Copacabana, this sentence defines the passion to the district, but Brasília, the new capital, called everyone that wanted to increase with her. Billy Blanco, a Brazilian Popular Music composer- for many times a chronicler of Rio de Janeiro, in its music works- against to this Exodus wrote "Não vou pra Brasília" (I´m not going to Brasília), a samba recorded in 1957 that said:
I´m not an Indian,
I don´t have the ears pierced.
I don't have a ring
at the nose.
I don´t use Indian clothing
and my skin is brown
because of the sun of the beach,
where I was born and grew up happily.
I´m not, I´m not going to Brasília,
neither me nor my family,
even if it´s to get rich.
Life doesn´t compare,
even hard and costly,
I prefer to be poor instead leaving Copacabana.
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In 1963, another tunnel was opened to ease the traffic of Copacabana which connected the Tonelero and
Pompeu Loureiro street and received the name of "Túnel Major Rubem Vaz". The wish of living in Copacabana, even the less rich social groups, helped the construction of buildings with very small apartments, the "JKs", a reference to the name of the President Juscelino Kubitschek, but actually it meant "Janela (window) and Kitchenette". The most important district of the city became into a real jungle of buildings, that developed in a disordered and vertiginous way. By the 50´s and 60´s, Copacabana was already a saturated district, but, even this way, it were liberated the standard of measurement of the buildings with twelve floors, especially hotels, making impossible the view of the mountains.
Recorded in 1968, "Superbacana", Caetano Veloso shows his passion for Copacabana in a very modern way:
all of this people is wrong
or pretend not to see
that I was born to be Superniceone,
Superniceone, Superniceone.
Superman, Superflit,
Super Vick, Superhist, Superniceone.
A fragment over Copacabana,
everything in Copacabana, Copacabana.
The world explodes far, so far away,
the sun replies, the time hides, the wind spreads and the leftovers fall down over Copacabana, it tricks me, hides the Supergoof peanut, the Spinach, the command of the Supersonic plane, the electronic park, the atomic power, the economic increase, the Uncle Scrooge´s first dime is not mine. An army of
cowboys sweeps the entrance of a legion of Super Heroes; Me an splendid man, keep dreaming
until I explode in a colored way, in the sun of the five senses, nothing in the pockets nor in the hands.
O mundo explode longe, muito longe,
o Sol responde, o tempo esconde,
o vento espalha e as migalhas
caem todas sobre Copacabana
me engana, esconde o superamendoim,
o espinafre biotônico,
o comando ao avião supersônico,
do parque eletrônico,
do poder atômico, do avanço econômico:
a moeda número um do tio Patinhas
não é minha.
Um batalhão de cow boys
varre a entrada da legião de super-heróis;
eu, superbacana, vou sonhando
até explodir colorido,
no sol dos cinco sentidos,
nada no bolso, ou nas mãos.
Um instante maestro!
In the 70´s, on "Negrão de Lima" government, was inaugurated the enlargement of the
shore of Copacabana and Atlântica Avenue. A new urban work, modifies the beach, now with a
much bigger sandy area. The sidewalks kept its shapes, but the middle of the two ways got
wonderful geometric draws designed by the great architect and landscapist "Burle Marx" and many trees.
Copacabana may not be the best - and it´s a controversial issue- but to its residents and visitors, the district is incredibly wonderful and feasible. A large amount of the problems came with the increase of the automobiles, and for those, Copacabana is almost infeasible, because nit´s impossible to park all of them at the parking lots and garages there are in Copacabana. Seeking a better solution for these problems, some Communities started to appear, like: Bairro Peixoto, Praça Cardeal Arcoverde, Leme, Pedra do Inhangá, Postos Quatro, Cinco e Seis and Arpoador..
The
Hotel Méridien-Rio had the idea of making a firework in the New Year´s Eve Party of 1976 from the top of its building, at the corner of Atlântica and Princesa Isabel Avenue. Since that the fireworks in New Year´s Eve Party is one of the city celebrations. Before that there were meetings of the followers of Voodoo and Afro-Brazilians rites, who used to throw flowers and gifts, in the last day of the year, in the sea of Copacabana to "Iemanjá", to thank the blessings of the year and to pray for a better new year. In the 80´s the hotel made a bigger show, including Laser Blam. Since that, the Hotels and Restaurants of the shore and the City Hall adhered to this show, making of Copacabana, the place with the biggest New Year´s Eve Party of Rio de Janeiro and the biggest simultaneous firework of the world, registered at the Guiness Book, since 1990, and, to where every year, comes more and more people, about two million people, who comes from other districts, other states and even from other countries. All over the shore, appear from small holes in the sand the lights of candles rounded by offerings and hymns heard from all over the beach. The bars and restaurants stay crowded and the sidewalk becomes into the best place of the traditional New Year´s Eve party. The apartments in front of the beach receive their guests to sophisticated dinners. It´s the most peaceful, free and public confraternization of all over the world, that happens on the four kilometers of the asphalt and the sand in a ritual: look to the sky and let yourself get illuminated by the splendorous firework. From one side to another, from Leme Fortification to Copacabana Fortification explode various kinds of fireworks, lasting about fifteen minutes finishing with the magical effect of the fireworks falling down 127m from the top of
Meridien Hotel as a waterfall.
Copacabana Copacabana accomplishes one more event in the city: the "Rio´s Marathon" which since 1984 was designated by the "Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro" as a selection to the Olympic Games of Los Angeles. Having a starting and a finishing on the beach, the 42.195m has an annual participation of about five thousands runners. Still in that year, the Mayor Marcello Alencar, in his first administration inaugurated the "
Parque da Chacrinha", a public square in the district, with an access to the Atlantic woods of "Morro de São João". At that time, it was sowed a rare kind of the native botany, which had disappeared after the urbanization of the district, the Eugenia Copacabanensis, or "Araçá da Praia". In the next year, answering a claim of the residents, the Mayor ordered to plant in the sands of the beach of Copacabana, in many different places, coconut trees, making the beach look like a real oasis. By this way, many different places with shades are guaranteed.
In 1991, a bicycle way was built at the shore and cycling becomes fashion. In weekends, the way besides the beach- the way that cars and buses use to come from Ipanema, Leblon and other districts- is closed to leisure time, so we can find people practicing roller skates, people walking and that wonderful sea view.
In the year of its centenary, 1992, Copacabana was a Brazilian carnival samba by Escola de Samba Acadêmicos de Vigário Geral whose name was "One Hundred Years of Copacabana", being the winner of the Carnival. Although in Copacabana live most of the managers and owners of newspapers, until the inauguration of the "Copacabana Palace", its Carnival used to be incipient, and, in the beginning this party seemed to be privatized by its residents. Copacabana used to take in people who came from other places very formally. In that time of the year, the residents attended the sumptuous "Atlântico Club" and "Praia Club". By the time of the Carnival they participated very enthusiastically . In 1932, the Government made the Carnival official and since that time, Copacabana opens its Ballrooms to other social groups. Some prejudices are forgotten and the district starts to have participation in the fun of the streets. Since the beginning of the 20th century, there were already some carnival groups: "Socieade Carnavalesca Prazer do Leme", "Peixinhos do Amor" and "Flor de Copacabana". It was very usual, at that time, some confetti and perfumed ether spray battles, promoted by the youth of the district, at Atlântica Avenue between Constante Ramos and Furquim Werneck (nowadays Xavier da Silveira), streets, fasten itself in that place of Copacabana, a street demonstration of our Carnival.
The first newspaper of Copacabana, established in 1907, " O Novo Rio" registered the carnival Balls, and later, had as collaborator "Orestes Barbosa", the unforgettable author- together with "Sílvio Caldas"- of "Chão de Estrelas". In 1920 is established the newspaper "Beira Mar", which stood out in a decisive way writing the claims of the residents of Copacabana and was born the one who would be named the revolutionary force of the Brazilian Popular Music, Dircinha Batista, who had a wonderful voice and performed collaborated in many carnivals. The youth of the district spent their energy and carnival animation on the streets and in the clubs that appeared and they created the sea bath wearing fantasies. Since then Copacabana starts to feel the reflexes of these shows that increased year by year with the participation of other people coming from another "cariocas" districts wearing different fantasies in the streetcars, in the trains and they were made of crepon paper to enter in the sea. There were procession of ships, confetti battles and a lot of fun. In the 50´s, there were a group of boys that were born with a silver spoon , that used to set appointments at the "Confeitaria Alvear" to drink and chat creating the "Grupo dos Cafajestes" (The Scum Group), that in the Carnival days went the Copacabana Balls. They created famous Balls, as the "Baile do Cajú Amigo" (The Friendly Cashew Ball) that became famous and crowded for many years. In the most important Balls, the pre-carnivals, this was one of the most animated groups. In one of these parties- tell us the journalist Ibrahim Sued in his book "30 years of Reports"- the Hollywood actress Jane Mansfield stimulated by a drink named "Friendly Cashew", danced totally naked on a table of the nightclub "Au Bon Gourmet" where a carnival ball was happening. The Miguel Lemos Street known because of the union of its residents keeps stimulating the carnival of the district, making sensational pre-carnival Balls fascinating many carnival dancers for all the "King Momo" period. Even nowadays this tradition is kept, happening in other popular parties and World Cup and June Typical Parties. The "Copacabana Palace Hotel" kept the international fame of its Balls, so, in 1964, in the carnival of the 4th centenary of Rio de Janeiro famous artists and millionaires came to see our party, such as Porfírio and Odile Rubirosa, Brigitte Bardot, Alberto Sordi, Elza Martinelli and many others. Year by year, the parties kept happening, but the carnival in Copacabana was disappearing until the creation of bands which made the street carnival be born again. The first was the Banda do Leme, created in 1971, besides this there are the "Bandida", from Rodolfo Dantas street; the "Banda Bomba", from Bolívar street; the "Banda da Boca Maldita", from Prado Júnior Avenue and then come the Bands from the Duvivier, Paula Freitas, Sá Ferreira, Santa Clara, Miguel Lemos and many others.
In the 80´s, a "Bloco" (small group of persons playing together in
Carnival.) increased and became into a "Samba School" named Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Unidos da Vila Rica, that got to parade in the Group II. The place they rehearse is at the Morro de São João, but it has to be accessed by the "
Ladeira dos Tabajaras" ( Tabajaras Hill).
The large shore of Copacabana, in sunny days, is a wonderful human whirlpool with almost
naked people that cluster on the sands and near the waves. There, it is found people from all
social and professional groups in a democratic way: little and millionaire business are made;
cents and million of dollars are bet, since a glass of lemonade to apartments and airplanes;
homosexuals, couples, families, teams of beach soccer and beach volley- sports that were created and became professional in Copacabana - music Concerts, salesmen that sell everything that is possible divide the same space all over Copacabana Beach.
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