People around the world and in every culture love festivals. Since the dawn of civilization, all peoples have gathered and celebrated to commemorate an event - a thanksgiving from the gods, an anniversary of a royal figure, the independence of a nation, a patron saint's feast day, and the list goes on.
One of the major world festivals that all of us very well know is the Rio de Janiero Carnival in Brazil. This is one of the most colorful and beautiful festival or celebration in the world. The annual festival is held forty days before Easter. This is the last day of worldly revelry before the observance of the Lenten Season. The festival basically is a symbol of bidding farewell to bad things before one goes through forty days of religious discipline and repentance as one prepares for Christ's death and ressurection.
The Rio Carnival involves the participation of samba schools and the blocos. The blocos are small pageant groups that parade through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. The blocos are usually seen in local neighborhood dressed in their costumes or special T-shirts with logo identifying the bloco. Then there is the officially organized parade wherein competitive samba schools and performers including top Brazilian actresses participate. This is the much publicized event which is well attended by tourists and locals alike.
The carnival has its roots from European festivals but the Brazilians incorporated the influence of the Portuguese, African and native Brazilian Indian culture. The samba music is usually an original composition and the performers or groups parade their colorful costumes and floats as they compete for the best samba school. The best spots where the Rio Carnival can be fully experienced are in Copacobana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Botanico and of course downtown Rio de Janiero. Samba, samba Brasilia!!!
Photo Credit: Baianas de Carnaval
Photographer: Brazilcarnival.com.br
Photo Link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30718554@N04/4186809895/in/set-72157618577635154/
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