The Brazilian carnival (Carnaval, in Portuguese) is a wild 4 day annual celebration held 40 days before Easter. It officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday after which one is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures. Carnival with all its excesses, celebrated as a profane event, can thus be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh. It usually happens in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere, when the Rio summer is at its peak. 

Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, benchmark against which every other carnival is compared but also one of the most interesting artistic events on the Globe. Pretty much everyone has heard of the Rio Carnaval. Foreign visitors to it alone number around 500,000 every year. 
 

Carnival in Rio, famous for its production.

Street Bands and Parties

There are carnival celebrations in virtually every corner of Brazil, the best-known ones taking place in Recife together with the neighboring Olinda (in the Northeast of Brazil) and Salvador. But the biggest and most famous carnival is undoubtedly the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

Each neighborhood in Rio has its favorite Carnival street band(s). There are more than 300 of them in Rio nowadays and each year this number increases. Each band has its place or street for its parade and the big ones usually close the streets to the traffic. They usually start in January and last till the end of Carnival. Thus, since the beginning of the year, you can often see groups of people dancing samba in the streets of Rio at the weekends and during Carnival.

Usually the people who organize the band's procession compose their own music which plays all the time during the parade mixed with old carnival music and samba songs that have become classics.

The Carnival bands consist of an orchestra, mainly bass, marching along a pre--determined route or staying at the same place, joined by hordes of enthusiastic samba revelers dressed in costumes, bathing suits, plain clothes and many in drag. Blocos are usually smaller, attracting more of a neighborhood crowd, bandas being bigger in size.

Rio de Janeiro has many Carnival choices, including the famous Samba school (Escolas de Samba) parades in the sambadrome exhibition centre and the popular blocos de carnaval (bands), which parade in almost every corner of the city. The most famous ones are:

• Cordão do Bola Preta: Parades in the centre of the city. It is one of the most traditional carnavals. In 2006, it gathered 200,000 people in one day.
• Suvaco do Cristo: Band that parades in the Botanic Garden, directly below the Redeemer statue's arm. The name, in English, translates as 'Christ's armpit', and was chosen for that reason.
• Carmelitas: Band that was supposedly created by nuns, but in fact it is just a theme chosen by the band. It parades in the hills of Santa Teresa, which have very nice views.
• Simpatia é Quase Amor: One of the most popular parades in Ipanema. Translates as 'Friendliness is almost love'.
• Banda de Ipanema: The most traditional in Ipanema. It attracts a wide range of revellers, including families and a wide spectrum of the gay population (notably spectacular drag queens).

The operation of a Carnival street band is really quite simple. First people gather at some well known spot, such as a square or neighborhood bar. After a couple or more hours of getting together, the band starts marching its way down the streets. Do not miss the meet-up part itself. Enjoy the show performed by drag queens and children, stopping cars and buses trying in vain to make their way through the crowds. Drivers caught in a band gridlock have nothing to do but relax and enjoy the moment.

Seniors and children of all ages also participate in this street Carnival type of events, so this is the ideal time for the whole family to have a good time together. South Rio bands march in the afternoon. Gathering usually starts around 4 p.m.

Where the bands pass, major streets are closed to traffic and bus routes are changed, to avoid the inevitable jam. Some bands attract as many as over 10,000 participants. Most bands also have official T-shirts for sale on the spot for about US$10, to help with the costs. They make great souvenirs, as they are sold only on Rio Carnival days.
 

Samba

Almost all of the music played during Rio Carnival is samba. It is a uniquely Brazilian music originating from Rio and a dance form that was invented by the poor Afro-Brazilians.

The word samba comes from the Angolan world semba referring to a type of ritual music. The word had a variety of meanings to the African slaves brought to Brazil during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It meant to pray or invoke the spirits of the ancestors and the gods of the African Pantheon. As a noun, it could mean a complaint, a cry, or something like "the blues".

Accommodation during Rio Carnival

 
You should really organize your accommodation for the Rio Carnival well in advance. The best hotels, especially in South Rio (the Zona Sul) are booked up early, so it¹s a good idea to make a reservation at least 3 or 4 months in advance.

Where to Stay

The so-called Zona Sul (the South End i.e. South Rio) is by far the most pleasant place to stay in Rio. It is by the sea and is the most civilized part of the city. Leblon and Ipanema are more upmarket than Copacabana, which has become rather seedy in recent years. There are plenty of hotels of international standard as well as clean and safe small hotels and a couple of good hostels. Most hotels only offer a fixed-rate 5 night package during Carnival, against pre-payment, and these rates are significantly higher than at other times of the year.

Many people in Rio let their apartments or a room privately during Carnival as rates are so high at that time. You can search under temporary accommodation or through friends.

Rio Carnival History

The roots of Carnival trace back to the ancient Romans and Greeks who celebrated the rites of spring. Across Europe, including France, Spain and Portugal, people annually gave thanks by throwing parties, wearing masks and dancing in the streets. Such traditions were carried over to the New World.

The Portuguese first brought the concept of "celebration or carnival" to Rio around 1850. The practice of holding balls and masquerade parties was imported by the city’s bourgeoisie from Paris. However, in Brazil, the traditions soon became different. Over time, they acquired unique elements deriving from African and Amerindian cultures.

Groups of people would parade through the streets playing music and dancing. It was usual that during Carnival aristocrats would dress up as commoners, men would cross-dress as women and the poor dress up as princes and princesses - social roles and class differences were expected to be forgotten once a year but only for the duration of the festival.

Brazilians used to riot the Carnival until it was accepted by the government as an expression of culture. The black slaves became actively involved in the celebrations. They were able to be free for three days. Nowadays the slums' black communities are still the most involved groups in all the carnival preparations and they are the ones for whom Rio Carnival means the most.

By the end of the 18 century the festivities were enriched by competitions. People would not just dress up in costumes but also perform a parade accompanied by an orchestra of strings, drums and other instruments. These ever more organized competitions became the main attractions of the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, street carnival in Rio was musically a very euro centric affair - Polkas, Waltzes, Mazurkas and 'Scottish'. Meanwhile, the emergent working class (made up mainly of Afro Brazilians, along with some gypsies, Russian Jews, Poles etc.) developed their own music and rhythm. These people were mostly based in the central part of Rio, on a land the rich did not want, on the hills and swamps behind the dockyards; an area which came to be known as 'Little Africa' now recognized as the cradle of samba.

The parades were halted during World War II and started again in 1947. By then the main competition took place downtown on Avenida Rio Branco.

Carnival has gone a long way since it was brought to Rio having become one of the biggest events in the World. One of the most important recent developments was that the biggest parade the Samba Parade moved from the streets downtown to the purpose-built Sambodromo.