Carnival of Rio de Janeiro & Samba Dancers
Going to the carnival of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, is an exciting event which offers a good opportunity to experience the exotic charms of this latin country through dance and music. It display the native talent of samba dancers, the rich historical and cultural heritage of Brazil, that Brazilians share with the entire world.
The carnival can trace its roots in ancient African and Portuguese traditions; the fusion of these traditions led to the birth of this carnival, which started in the twentieth century. Being the most famous dance in Brazil, samba was incorporated in the carnival during that time. A million tourists join millions of citizens of Rio de Janeiro in revelry over a 4-day celebration. It begins on a Saturday and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before the beginning of the Christian period of Lent, the Ash Wednesday. During this period peoples watch the parade of different samba schools performing dances which follow a certain theme. The parade starts usually at seven in the morning and last up to six in the evening, depending on the number of schools that perform each day.
The highlight of the carnival is the "Sambodromo", or the samba parade where samba dancers are in competition. The Sambodromo is a 700-meter long strip flanked by spectator stands and luxury boxes. The main attraction is the exotic sound and sights of the parading samba dancers. Only the best 14 samba schools are selected to parade through the Sambodromo. It can take over an hour for a single samba school to pass a given point along the parade route. Each samba school has an elaborately decorated float, often accompanied by females dancing on rhythmic music. The floats are also accompanied by marching samba bands of up to 300 musicians.
Beside the parade from Sambodromo, other street carnivals are held all over the city. Banda de Ipanemais is one of the most traditional street carnivals. It was founded in 1964 and is now part of city's cultural heritage. Rio offers also a wide choice of balls. The Masquerade balls is one of the most frequented. The most famous ball is held at the Copacabana Palace Hotel. On a typical carnival ball can be enjoyed live music.
Featured Beach Resorts & Hotels of Rio
Hotel Astoria Palace - Copacabana
Hotel Porto Bay Rio Internacional - Copacabana
Hotel Golden Tulip Continental
Hotel California Othon Classic
Hotel JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro
Hotel Melia Angra Marina & Convention Resort