A whistle in the mouth, a rubber ball and a colorful costume, different, sometimes accompanied by an umbrella that bears the same pattern as the outfit. Describing it this way, some people will ask: what is this?
But for cariocas/Brazilians, this is a well-known carnival figurine. Bate-bola.
Fun memories of childhood for some, they also represent the great “boogeyman” of others, a mixture of adoration and terror, which is part of those good memories that make us miss the childhood.
But where did the bate-bolas come from?
Some call them "Clóvis" and say that the name arose from the mispronunciation of popular people, since, in the early twentieth century, scholars called the revelers dressed up as "Clown", an English word meaning "clown". Thus, Brazilians, in the best “Joel Santana” style of English pronunciation, started calling the “Clowns” “Clóvis”!
It is said around that the bate-bolas arose in Rio de Janeiro under the influence of Portuguese colonization and other festivals such as the folia de reis. Others say that freed slaves who were sometimes unfairly persecuted by the police, wore their costumes to be able to freely play the carnival and "use Bate-bola" to protest against oppression, not following rules and hitting the balls hard on the ground made from ox bladders (yuck!), to show that they had the strength and power to disturb and transform together. Today, whoever dresses up in a game, says it's out of passion!
The tradition passed from father to son, mainly in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and is maintained with some renovations, especially with regard to the balls that are now made of rubber! Although
keep the characteristic masks and costumes, some decided to change more and replace the noisy rubber balls with parasols, as for them, the balls were a bit aggressive and scary. Other groups such as the “Turma do Descontrole” which has been entertaining the Irajá carnival for eleven years, maintain the tradition and pride themselves on the “noise” caused by their performances: In addition to the balls, they make flags and argue that the noise of the balls, it's a tradition that even gives the character a name: for them, if it's “Bate-bola”, then they have to have the ball!
Today, the bate-bolas are not limited to just making noise: They are organized into groups and groups that spend almost the entire year preparing costumes and following a schedule of their carnival parade, which even has fireworks on the way out, sound, parties and animated barbecues to the sound of samba and funks specially composed in homage to the gang! The tradition of bate-bolas has even left the Rio suburbs and is now gaining ground in Brazil: In Brasília, the group “Bate-bola Cruzeiro” attracts attention in rehearsals at the capital's Samba schools and in parades of street blocks.
The “Bogeyman” of the carnival of old, became an attraction and conquers many, even children: if they used to hide in fear, now they want to be part of the gang!
if you want more information about bate-bola, here is the link:pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%B3…
