Brazilian Carnival festival Rio de Janeiro Icon

The Brazilian Carnival, properly spelled Carnaval, is an annual festival in Brazil held four days before Ash Wednesday. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry—hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat."

Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to sex in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection.

Modern Brazilian Carnival originated in Rio de Janeiro in 1641, when the city's bourgeoisie imported the practice of holding balls and masquerade parties from Paris. It originally mimicked the European form of the festival, later absorbing and creolizing elements derived from Native American and African cultures.

Brazilian Carnival exhibits some differences from its European counterparts, having mixed African, Native, German and Euro elements. Furthermore, rhythm, participation, and costume vary from one region of Brazil to another.

For example, in the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, organized parades led by samba schools vie for prizes on the "sambodromo" open stage. Only samba-school affiliates participate in the shows. Smaller cities often have no public events but promote balls in recreational clubs.

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