#Travel - Brazil Sightseeing Guide Special Edition - Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro
Image source
Greetings fellow steemians! I'm not dead...yet! I was just enjoying the brazilian annual Carnaval festival! Although this was a time for celebrations, dancing and forgetting some of the problems that exist and persist around here, I used this time to rest.
What's Carnaval?
The Carnaval, or Carnival, is a festive season that happens every late February or early March on predominant christian and orthodox religious countries before the Lent. The season ends at the Ash Wednesday and is typically full of parades and public celebrations where people literally unleash their inner demons in a frenzy of extravagant festivities packed of alcohol, satires and, sometimes, with very present sexual themes.
The celebrations were very common among the romans and the greek and culturally expanded to there rest of the world, with each place having their own version of the festivities.
The Carnaval in Rio
The Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro follows this premise, but retains its status as one of the most amazing and beautiful renditions of the festivities. Several people from the entire planet gather around here to find one of the most colourful celebrations in the Western world.
What makes it so special?
The Brazilian people has earned the title of the country with the happiest people in the world. This is a joke of course, but there aren't many people around that are as receptive as us. We look forward to make guests crave for a second visit, so we will make sure that visitors have a great time!
People really drop into the fray like there's no tomorrow! This is the Blocochain, ladies and gents. Image source
Beautiful people, unforgettable visuals, colourful satiric costumes, tasty food, pumped up music and a warm atmosphere is what we oughta provide for foreigners. And we do it with the heart, because we wanna see you again soon! Perhaps this is the reason that the Carnaval in Rio is considered one of the greatest in the world.
Samba is the core
Perhaps the greatest differing factor we find in the Rio de Janeiro Carnaval and the Brazilian festivities is the music. The Samba is deeply rooted within our culture. Brought by African slaves during the 17th and 18th Centuries as a form to overcome the difficulties of captivity, the African songs molded across the years until today's iterations.
Elements of the current pop culture usually join in, but the unmistakable rhythm of the percussion is what stands out to create the greatest musical exponent in the festivities and the main identity of the Brazilian Carnaval.
Image sourceThe frantic beats of the Samba are a majestic backdrop for people that go out on the streets to take part in the blocos, which are concentrations of people that gather to celebrate, sing and dance. Musicians, usually bands and small orchestras sing the marchinhas, which are witty and often satiric songs played in the rhythm of an upbeat military march.
Luxurious parades of Samba schools are another brand of the celebrations. These schools will battle for the title of Champion of Carnaval. The one the best looking, best sounding and best sung parade will come out as a winner in a public announcement where grades will be disclosed to an eager crowd.
Due to the turmoil regarding the current political backdrop in Brazil, the parades had a protest tone, with heavy criticism to the presidential rule and the congress.
It's an incredible time that officially kickstarts the year. People usually say that the year begins only after the Carnaval and for some lucky people that's true. Classes usually start a week before the celebrations only to stop and then resume after the Ash Wednesday.
So, next year, if you're looking for some place to spend the festivities, come to Rio de Janeiro. It's surely a no brainer when it comes to having fun!
See ya, people, and steem on!
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