The history of the festival is rooted in the Greek's spring celebration of Dionysus, the god of wine. The Romans took on the celebration as their own in honor of Saturnalia defining the festival by drunken merrymaking. Eventually, after the Roman Catholic Church established its influence throughout Europe and the Western Hemisphere, the celebration evolved into a week long party leading up to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The idea is that you behave as badly as you possibly can, indulging every whim to cross your mind, before making sacrifices during the 40 days prior to Easter.
In Brazil today, Carnival is a BIG deal! During the festival, the consumption of beer accounts for 80% of the nation's annual consumption and 70% of Brazil's annual tourism occurs. Last year in Rio de Janeiro, Carnival attracted 4.9 million people, just to give an idea of the proportions being discussed.
Not only is the festival a staple of the Brazilian economy, but it is also a time of cultural diffusion that celebrates the nations mixed origins. The parades are influenced greatly by local folklore and African-Brazilian culture and accompanied by many types of music including the samba-enredo, samba de bloco, samba de embalo, and the marchinha. Enjoy the pictures below!
All pictures from: http://www.travelvivi.com/carnival-of-the-year-rio-carnival/
Sources:
Rio-Carnival: http://www.rio-carnival.net/rio_carnival/samba_parade_costume_order.php
History of Carnival: http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/33/
Sounds and Colors: http://www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/everything-is-possible-street-carnival-in-rio-de-janeiro/
