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Rio Carnival is one of the biggest, boldest and brightest events in the Brazilian calendar.
The Carnival is an annual event that always begins on the Friday before Ash Wednesday. This year, that date is 21 February. It spans the following few days, finishing on Ash Wednesday (26 February), the day Lent begins.
All the main samba competitions between rival dance schools and parades take place in the Sambadrome – a purpose-built parade area created for the Carnival. After the official events, the party spills out onto the streets in every corner of the city.
epa08237096 Members of Grupo Especial Dragões da Real samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237213 Members of the Grupo Especial X-9 Paulistana samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237215 Members of the Grupo Especial X-9 Paulistana samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237219 Members of the Grupo Especial Dragões da Real samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EFE/ Sebastiao Moreira EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237227 Members of the Grupo Especial Dragões da Real samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237226 Members of the Grupo Especial Dragões da Real samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237229 A member of the Grupo Especial Império de Casa Verde samba school takes part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08237232 Members of the Grupo Especial Dragões da Real samba school take part in the traditional carnival parade at Ahembi sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira
epa08238444 Members of the troupe ‘Cordão do Prata Preta’ attend a parade during the first day of carnival at Santa Teresa neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Marcelo Sayão
epa08238449 Members of the troupe ‘Céu na Terra’attend a parade during the first day of carnival at Santa Teresa neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Marcelo Sayão
epa08238454 A member of the troupe ‘Tarados em você’ attends a parade during the first day of carnival in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Fernando Bizerra
epa08238455 Members of the troupe ‘Tarados em você’ attend a parade during the first day of carnival in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Fernando Bizerra
epa08238677 People attend the parade ‘Galo da Madrugada’ during the first day of carnival in Recife, Brazil, 22 February 2020. EPA-EFE/Ney Douglas
Rio Carnival is both rooted in European pagan traditions and Catholicism. It was originally a food festival, when people would take their last opportunity to gorge before the beginning of Lent, traditionally a time of abstinence and fasting in the Catholic Church.
But the unique feel of the Carnival comes from the culture clash between the Portuguese colonisers and the indigenous people. The settlers bought over the tradition of Entrudo (Carnival) from Europe, where it met with the local population’s passion for music and dance.
Independent
