by Sahana Rao (’26) | March 1, 2024
With the arrival of spring, the Christian tradition welcomes Lent, a time of reflection leading up to Easter. This forty-day period is marked by fasting and self-reflection, paralleling Jesus’ forty-day journey in the desert. But before this period of fasting, many cultures around the world celebrate a vibrant festival to indulge. In Portuguese-speaking countries like Brazil, this is known as Carnaval. This celebration combines customs from Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome with Catholic tradition and came to be known as “carne vale” (carnival) meaning “meat, farewell.” In addition to eating lots of food during this event, “there are usually massive parades with floats, dancers, traditional music, [and] performers,” said Celeste Younger (’26), a member of the Lusófono Student Association (LuSA). She added, “each region in Brazil celebrates it a little differently.”
LuSA, the Portuguese-speaking affinity group, hosted their third annual Carnaval at Saint Francis this spring. During the morning announcements prior to the event, Isabella Assirati (’26), Liz Mori (’24), and Amélia Ávila (’24) read the Our Father prayer in Portuguese and explained their lunchtime festivities, where they would serve different Portuguese foods. “This year, our main focus was the delicious food we served,” said Ávila who ordered the food from various local Portuguese and Brazilian stores, including Portuguese Tasty Desserts, Sousa’s, and Bacalhau Grill. Their menu included malasadas or filhós (Portuguese donuts), massa sovada (sweet bread traditional to the Azores Islands), pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread), and brigadeiros (a Brazilian chocolatey dessert made with cocoa, condensed milk, and coated in chocolate sprinkles), as well as refreshing guava and passionfruit juice. Younger enjoyed getting to introduce foods to students and said, “it was a really fun time, especially when some students came back for seconds.”
A lot of work went on behind the scenes to make this event possible. During the Friday prior to the celebrations, Diego Ortuondo (’24) and Ávila spearheaded the decorating process, transforming the commons’ hallway and library into a vibrant and festive display of paper flowers, traditional Carnaval masks, and colorful streamers. Sofia Ávila (’27) shared, “My participation in the event was decorating the commons, setting up the commons porch before lunch, and handing out food.”
The event was vibrant and successful. “I was excited to see all the student participation, from our LuSA volunteers who helped hand out food, choose music, and take photos for our Instagram posts, to everyone who lined up to try some new foods!” said A. Ávila. Commenting on the value of affinity groups like LuSA, she added, “I think overall, we are all really happy that we were able to share not only delicious food but also our culture with the larger student body.” She also credited the members and volunteers, their moderator Ms. Bostrom, as well as Winston and the hospitality team, emphasizing that this event wouldn’t have been possible without all their support. Carnaval was an ideal way to kick off the Lenten season, celebrating the unique traditions of Portuguese-speaking cultures while fostering a sense of unity and an appreciation for the diverse cultures among students and staff.
