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Brazilian Carnival

The rio carnival on the streets.
(Source: lookpictures.net)

The carnival of Brazil, also called as the Rio Carnival, is an annual festival which is held during the Friday to teusday before Ash Wednesday. This carnival marks the beginning of Lent (the 40day period before Easter).

This is the most famous holiday and has become a major event! Except for retail establishments such as malls, and other businesses, the country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense,mainly in coastal cities.

The parade at the carnival.

(Source: brazilbookers.com )

Rio de Janeiro's carnival alone drew 4.9 million people in 2011, with 400,000 being foreigners.

The huge crowd at the carnival
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The origin

Carnival was practiced by the Portuguese elite behind closed mansion doors , with Brazil's black African population excluded. But the recipe for these masked celebrations, danced to the rhythm of the time, the polka, travelled out into the "favela" shanty towns and Carnival really began. By the 20th century these individual community parties developed into a humble cousin of the fully-blown carnival we see today complete with music of its very own: samba.

The first year of the carnival
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The origin of the Carnival
(Source: aboutbrasil.com )

Impact on Rio.

Brazil earns a lot through tourism during this time. This carnival is very close to every Brazilians' heart which leads to better infrastructure and people running a business get benefitted and most importantly this tradition of Brazil is maintained and the country is known and talked about for its grand event every year.

Rio carnival stated as one of the best carnivals around the world .
(Source : skyscanner.net)

The creative forces.

Alongside community costume creations major Brazilian fashion designers have made their name in these parades. The Carnival Drum Queens are Carnival's biggest stars: traditionally the most beautiful women in each community. Today the queen has to have glamour model beauty coupled with an athlete's endurance to lead her battery of drummers through Rio's streets. These young women are chosen for maximum exposure in every sense, so are usually selected from a crop of actresses and models.

The very popular dressing and styling fashion

of the carnivals of Rio.

(Source : lumieremagazine.com )

The DrumQueen leads the drumers spreading joy everywhere

through music.

(Source: hellomagazine.com )

Role of a normal man.

It's not just the stars of TV Globo (Brazil's equivalent of Bollywood) who get a leading role in Carnival. If you are part of a samba group – and this can simply be a follower rather than a musician or dancer – then you are centre stage for the big show. That said, certainly big-name sponsorship and international interest has driven ticket prices for the main event to well above that which the average Brazilian can afford but this is where the city's burgeoning unofficial street parties are born.

The common people joining the Samba Parade.

(Source: en.wikipedia.org )

The common people enjoying the huge street party dancing and

singing in the city of Rio.

(Source: bellenews.com )

Rio's global image is so closely associated with Carnival that the two things are almost synonymous. Everything from the tourist industry to episodes of The Simpsons have found it hard to separate the two entities. The Rio state government will donate several million, and tourist revenues, though likely to be down on previous years (hotels are expecting a 20 per cent drop in occupancy) will still be significant. Carnival goers are expected to inject $521 million into the city's economy, up from $510 million last year.

The carnival maintains it's standards every year making the happiness, enjoyment and excitement of people bigger every time and also maintaining the country's reputation.

(Source : mytripolog.com ) (Source : sambadrome.com )

The rio carnival is known for its dance, music, parades, clothes and much much more.

The various music events.

(Source : myelproductions.com )

The dance extravaganza at Rio.

(Source : telegraph.co.uk )

The HUGE parade where everyone takes part is the most

awaited part of the carnival.

(Source : zimbio.com )

Floats Parade :

The float parade consists of various kinds of HUGE floats made

on which the people arrive.

(Source : telegraph.co.uk )

This float was specially made for the 2014 carnival to depict

the 2014 FIFA worldcup which was to be held in Brazil.

(Source: dailymail.co.uk )

This float was again made in the 2014 carnival to depict the

golden boot of the FIFA.

(Source: ibtimes.com )

(Source: trend-kid.com)

Body Paintings :

Another special thing the Carnival is famous for is the people,

especially women painting their body in various ways.

(Source: youtube.com)

(Source: brazilinhotpants.com)

(Source: phanganist.com)

Masquerade :

The masquerade parade is another event which makes the

carnival vibrant and lively.

(Source: halloweenhero.com )

(Source: gopixpic.com)

As a whole, the RIO CARNIVAL which is one of the biggest in the world is a huge celebration to spread happiness and joy all around. There is no motto behind it, people come together once a year and have the time of their life. The dances, music, parades and all the events bring the country together and shows the entire world what Brazil really is !

Not only it is a festival but a grand celebration which reaches out to the entire world and just by viewing the photographes on the internet one can imagine how colourful and vibrant the real atmosphere there would be .

Rio Carnival is one celebration everyone should experience atleast once in their life for sure !