Why Rio's Carnival Rules

Why Rio's Carnival Rules

Many people tout the virtues of Carnival in Salvador and other cities in Brazil, but Rio's Carnival is the real deal. After all, it was here that the whole thing started. The first samba schools appeared in Rio in the 19th century and it was here that the parades happened for the first time. It is no accident that for every Carnival (in February or early March, depending on where Lent falls on the calendar), Brazil comes to a halt to see the parades in Rio de Janeiro. In those four days (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday) it's said that Brazilians think only of samba, women and beer—Rio's Carnival triad. Without the three, the party is not complete, Brazilians say.

The mulatas, women fantasically dressed in barely-there sequin-and-feather-adorned costumes, are at the head of the parades. They are what one generally thinks of when Brazilian Carnival comes to mind—so again, what is considered a quintessential part of Carnival was born in Rio. Right behind them comes the rousing percussion wing. Then come the floats, full of color, over three meters high. Beautiful women with the tiniest of golden bikinis ride them, sensually dancing the samba, accompanied on the street level by the various alas (wings, or sections), of the escola de samba (samba school). Each of the 14 schools creates an overall theme with its floats, costumes, music, and dancers; each wing of the school wears a different type of costume, all of them breathtaking. In some cases, more than $1 million is spent on the extravagant displays. Rehearsals for the better part of a year lead to one hour-and-twenty-minute performance for each samba school. At the end of Carnival, the best samba school is elected the champion of the year's parade by a group of jurors, in a dispute closely followed by millions of Brazilians throughout the country.

Though past Carnivals took place in Centro, today the parades are in the Sambódromo, a huge stadium, open only for Carnival, that was designed by the renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer and built in the heart of the city in 1984. It can be reached by subway or by taxi, and admittance tickets cost US$30—but if you want a seat, you'll pay between US$200 and $1,000. The Brazilian Tourism Office has links to a Sambódromo map on its Web site (www.braziltourism.org/sambodromo.shtml) and great tips about which seats to choose.

The carioca (resident of Rio) makes no distinction between Brazilians and foreigners at Carnival, and even those who have no familiarity whatsoever with samba are welcome to participate in the event. To join a samba school all you have to do is attend one of the rehearsals in the school's headquarters and pay about US$200 for a costume (this includes the admittance ticket). Then just join the party!

-by Carla Aranha