Crazy Carnival of Rio De Janerio

Rio de Janeiro lit up over the weekend as Brazil was consumed by Carnival fever and the country’s numerous samba schools took to the street. The festivities were, as ever, over the top. As were the floats. As was the crowd. As was the music.

The Ingredients of Rio Carnival

One of the most involved groups in Rio Carnival are the poorest neighborhoods, the so called favelas. Favelas are shantytowns or slums, in which houses are made of cardboard or other scraps, and they are often without water, electricity and sewage system. However, no matter how bad a situation the favelas´ residents are in, they join in the festivities and they actually “make” the Carnival in Rio. Carnival really means a lot to them, because for once during the year they get to go out and have as much fun as they can. And you will see, they can indeed.

Residents of the favelas are often members of a local samba school and are deeply involved with the performance and costumes of their groups. Carnival and samba is their passion alongside football.

Gays and drag queens come and help out and become very involved in Rio Carnival. For everyone, this is a time to come together as a whole and have fun together. Brazil once becomes the most tolerant society. Gender and social boundaries vanish as many paraders cross-dress.

They may try to organize it, glamorize it, televise it, even industrialize it but Rio Carnival is something that comes deep from the fun-loving soul of the Rio people. It does not depend on any authority or sponsor to happen. Carnival in the streets is a living proof of this passion. It’s free, and everybody’s welcome to participate.

Street Bands and Parties

Each neighborhood in Rio has its favorite Carnival street band. 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. 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.

Frequently the people who organize the band’s procession compose the music for their own parade.

Samba

Almost all of the music played during Rio Carnival is samba. It is a uniquely Brazilian music originating from Rio, 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”.

Rio Carnival 2013

All about Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, all the aspects of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.  2013 Rio Carnival events, venues, its history, 2013 Rio Carnival tickets, costumes for the 2013, Samba Parade and Sambodromo information, and  alsoYou can book your hotel and packages for the 2013 Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and listen to the Rio Carnival samba songs from here http://www.rio-carnival.net/

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