Considered one of the largest popular celebrations on the planet, the Carnival of Brazil is one of the clichés (along with soccer and cafe) through which the world perceives the country. So numerous are the manifestations of the Brazilian carnivals that it surely would not be wise to imagine these events as a uniform phenomenon.
In Rio de Janeiro, the carnival, a true Carioca institution, begins in the streets. The "blocos", groups of people from the same neighborhood or the same school, all dressed in costumes, parade to the sound of "bandas", percussion groups playing frenetic music (the "marchinhas").
But without a doubt, it is the parade of the samba schools that are responsible for the international fame of the Rio carnival.
It takes place inside the Sambodromo, a gigantic concrete structure reaching close to a kilometer in length. The Carioca conceived the Sambodromo expressly for this annual celebration. So famous is this building and its celebration that all sorts of anonymous celebrities attend from all over the world.
A synthesis of the Carnival-show styles from all over the country, the Carnival of Rio is a competition showcase for which all the samba schools, city and country wide, train passionately for an entire year.
When the parade starts, the Sambodromo and its concrete expanse transform into a colorful, noisy, shimmering, and undulating mass. In a downpour of decibels, hundreds of competition participants, in gaudy and vibrant costumes, accompany or ride the floats in total frenzy. A very formal jury judges and attribute points to the different competing schools for originality, quality, execution, and presentation of theme, costume, dance, and even the gigantic plaster sculptures. The jury observes every aspect of the celebration to elect the best school of the year.
Next carnival dates: from Feb 20th to 25th, 2009.
In Salvador de Bahia, the carnival has become a prodigious celebration for the masses. Millions of people, forming a crowd incredibly compact, dance to the rhythm of the "trios eletricos", trucks equipped with walls of speakers and on the roof of which a band of musicians play continuously, cruising town for hours.
To follow a trio, one has to buy their right to enter the ropes delimiting the access. A T-shirt is used as a "pass" for the all person "affiliated" to a trio. Some are placed under the banners of national celebrities, such as Ivette Sangalo, Chiclete com banana or Gilberto Gil, Salvador’s Carnival regulars.
Other trios train every year the same "blocos", homogenous group of which one carries the flag just like one would at a football game.
The most famous among them, the one of the "filhos de Gandhi" (Gandhi’s hijos), consists of over 5000 members all dressed identically, with a turban and a white and blue tunic. La Bahia and Salvador seem to have been custom cut for this fest, and when in the whole country official fests lasts for three days, there is a tendency that the Carnival of Salvador lasts a lot longer…?
Next carnival dates: from Feb 20th to 25th, 2009.
In Recife & Olinda, the Carnival takes the shape of a public parade where everyone is welcome to participate, and two essential expressions of the pernamboucan culture dominate: the Frevo and the Maracatu.
The Frevo, is a dance and a music particular to the carnival of Recife, with fast and impetuous rhythms. The numerous participants, named Passistas, dressed in their typical costumes and agitating small garish umbrellas in the air, execute an individual choreography, characterized by agile leg movement, which fold and unfold rapidly.
One has to see it in person to understand the ardor and appreciate the audacity of this dance.
The Maracatu comes from African traditions, and is a Brazilian re-inaction, of the crowning of the Black Kings.
Its originality comes from the percussions accompanying the parade and capable, after a few hours, to make the crowd enter into a trance and to follow them…The Carnival of Recife is without a doubt the celebration of everyone, and with its fanfares and their wind instruments able to move crowds, it constitutes the quintessence of customs and local traditions, and their ancestral origins and variety.
Next dates: from Feb 20th to 25th, 2009.
Other places in Brazil
The carnival is not celebrated in a big way everywhere, nonetheless it usually is manifested somewhat by some kind of celebration in most villages and towns.
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THE CARNIVAL 
