Carnival in Rio “The Greatest Show on Earth”
No one knows for sure where or when the rio carnival actually
started. There are theories that it came from the Roman Catholic tradition. Something
to do with a period of time before fasting where people would get together and
eat drink and be marry because tomorrow we can`t.
What is known is that in the nineteenth century carnival
balls became popular, with some really wild parties of the sort over at the Copacabana
Palace Hotel.
That just makes me think about the song!
In the 1930`s the Samba Parade started up due to the
influence of the Afro-Brazilian Culture. Then just because of the ethnic
melting pot culture the carnival was born.
The carnival is based around an actual contest between the
Samba schools for the best performance in dance, costume and music.
The samba dancers are the center attraction of the party and
that is where the feathers come in.
They are decked out in the most amazing feather costumes and
riding on these floats that are decorated with huge feathers.
Each of the Samba schools has its own tradition in many
different themes such as politics, arts and sports.
To read up more about carnival, or to buy tickets, take a
look at these links.
