The Brazilian Carnaval in Rio

The greatest spectacle of the World!!!!

A wonderful experience, full of colors, music and happiness. Brazil is a massive country and there is carnival in every city, in different formats and forms. There is street Carnival everywhere, and the population follow the speaker cars dancing the rhythm of Axé, Samba and more recently, even funk music.

This post, though, is dedicated to the Rio Carnival. To the schools of Samba, to the Mulatas  / the Brazilian Samba dancers…

Rio has got an avenue where the school of Samba parades, it is called Sambodromo, by the Brazilians. It was designed by the renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer. It is an official competition, with jury giving notes in different categories. The School of sambas are like  sport clubs or even fraternities, as in the US,  which compete one against the other for the Championship title. They spend the year preparing for the 80 minutes that they will cross the “Avenue”… from choosing the music that will be played, the lyrics which will tell the story, the distribution of the story described in the lyrics into the costumes, the costume details and the construction of the Allegoric Cars.

The Devil is in the details and the annual championship can be lost by 0,1 points difference. Million of dollars are spent every Carnival by the school of Sambas to impress the public and create the magical atmosphere.

The school of Sambas come from the various poor communities of Rio, where the samba routes are part of the society. However during Carnival, the poor and the rich mingle together, dance samba together, have fun together…. as they say, in the “Avenue” there is no color of skin, poor or rich background, but only the love for Samba and for Carnival.

The Avenue is composed of different sectors, where the public pay to watch the show. On the top, there is the stand, where the general public attend and watch it under rain or under the night clear sky. Just under the stands, there are boxes which are called the Camarotes. These are the VIP part. Brazilian famous brands of beer and goods, open these spaces to its guests and invite local and international celebrities. The year I was there, Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith were sharing the same space with us.

On the floor of the Avenue, at the same level of the school of Samba’s parade, there are the frisas, which are small open boxes with sits and tables for those who want to get a up close and personal look.

The sound of the drums is unforgettable! The contagious music and movement is indescribable. The bodies of the women is to die for… you feel like running to gym and only leaving there in 365 days for the next Carnival.

I lived it a few times and every time it is Carnival time, I catch myself dreaming to go back there. I strongly suggest you go and experience it at least once. You will have a story to tell for the rest of your life.

What do you think???