Brazilian Carnival

Carnival time in Brazil is a time to really let your hair down and go wild. For days on end there's nothing else but carnival and more carnival and for those few who are not into such revelry and merriment it is sheer hell. But for those who can't get enough of it, it's heaven on earth! For a great many, however, it's the way things are and they go with the flow in a sort of love-hate relationship with carnival capers and high jinks . Carnival during the day is lively enough, but come the night it livens up even more. The less adventurous stay indoors as much as they can while the more daring hit the street to live it up and party late into the night. Alcohol flows freely and makes people want to dance in the street and follow the many processions that parade through the streets.

The streets come to life with music and the noise of carnival in general, and at night some streets are illuminated by lots of overhead decorative lights strung up everywhere to add to the special atmosphere that characterises the carnival season. And by carnival season i mean the pre-carnival lead-up, the official carnival period, and the post-carnival wind-down! The Brazilians certainly know how to keep things going and milk a good thing when they have it.

A whole industry has grown up around the carnival and before the event itself takes place there are months of preparation to organise everything, make up the costumes, banners, giant dolls, floats and whatever else goes into making a carnival worthy of the name. This is especially so in such cities as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro where the art of carnival is second to none and where the main event takes place in a stadium called a 'sambodrome'. The processions that parade through the sambodrome have to be seen to be believed. They are nothing short of magnificent and breath-taking.