Five Great Reasons to Experience the Brazilian Carnival
Marking the beginning of Lent and celebrated 46 days before Easter, the Brazil Carnival has evolved into one of the world’s biggest parties. Observing Lent means 40 days of sacrifices before Easter, but the Brazilian Carnival offers everyone a final chance to party before the beginning of Lent. The Brazil Carnival is entertaining for five major reasons.
The History of the Brazil Carnival
No longer just a party before the beginning of Lent, Brazil Carnival has become one of the world’s biggest extravaganzas. Brazilian Carnival is rooted in Christian traditions, but it has elements of African and Brazilian Indian influences. Each area of Brazil has created its own Carnival style. For example, the huge samba parades of Rio’s Brazilian Carnival are now held in the Sambadrome, but they’ve been taking place since the 1930s. The Carnival in Bahia, on the other hand, features African-style dancing and music with a Reggae flavor.
The Costumes of the Brazilian Carnival
Many of the costumes worn during the Brazil Carnival are scanty, and people often think the celebration is just an excuse for attractive people to get away with wearing almost nothing. However, these costumes, which are covered with spangles, beads and feathers, all feature a theme. Each samba school or parade organization chooses a particular theme for its costumes, and essentially every theme possible has been chosen over the years. The costumes’ theme is decided a year in advance and the costume makers go to work immediately, because they take several months and many man-hours to create.
The Beautiful Girls of the Brazilian Carnival
In addition to the costumes, the young women at Brazil Carnival make this event memorable. Many of the girls in Brazil Carnival parades wear skimpy costumes and spend a lot of time working on their bodies. They’re not just showing off their bodies, however – they wear their costumes to show their pride in their samba schools.
Brazilian Samba Schools
The samba might be Latin in origin, but it has substantial African influences and has become a uniquely Brazilian dance. The samba schools in the country are more than just places to learn to dance – they actually put together the Brazilian Carnival, especially in Rio de Janeiro. Each samba school creates a float and puts on a performance which might include several hundred people. Schools typically cover a specific part of the city, without regard to whether the people there are wealthy or not. Everyone takes great pride in their samba school, and they all work together to make their school the best. The best samba school is announced at the end of the Brazilian Carnival.
The Music of the Brazilian Carnival
Not only is there some of the best dancing and costumes anywhere, there is also a lot of live music. Many Brazilian music stars march along in the parades performing on floats with huge speakers. There are also local music groups which perform. The best way to hear real Brazilian music is to go to the various parades where all the participants take pride in representing their country.
Joel Higginbotham currently lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and created his website www.BrazilCultureAndTravel.com to give everyone an idea of this amazing country. For more interesting Brazil facts click the following link to discover the Top 8 beaches in Rio de Janeiro.