Rio's 'Carnaval' - The World's Greatest Party

There are differing views as to when Rio's Carnival ('Carnaval' in Portuguese) actually begins. Some say New Year's Eve. Others say several weeks before Lent. Most agree on the four days just prior to Ash Wednesday. Of course they're all correct because the Brazilians love to 'carnaval' anytime. So it goes on year-round. It just gets bigger and better in February and the month leading up to it.

"Escola de Samba" - Rio, Brazil / Photo (CC) by Mark Scott Johnson

The actual holiday itself doesn't begin until the government declares it. In the past workers even went on strike to force the government to declare Carnival a holiday. Today it would be sacrilege for the government not to rubber stamp its blessing on the event and yet each year everyone waits for the declaration as if the nation's future weighs in the balance. Perhaps it does. Half a million foreign visitors attend Rio's Carnival each year. For the entire country, who knows what it might be.

Carnival fever begins in earnest on Friday afternoon when the first informal street bands begin to sortie out into the neighborhoods with their hypnotic samba beat, picking up onlookers as they move along like 'pied pipers' through the streets. There are several hundred of these bands so there's really no escaping them. Anywhere you go in Rio the rhythm of Carnival begins to infuse itself into your soul.

You may think you are immune to this sort of thing, that your analytical 'left-brain' will protect you. But I have seen vault-like intellects melt into ardent 'samba-istas' under the spell of Carnival. You simply can't fight it. You may not at first even be aware it's happening. Then suddenly you realize you no longer have control of your feet. They begin to move as if on their own. They tap out an easy tattoo on the pavement and your body sways in time to the music as you fall into step with the crowd. Your torso bends and twists in ways you never trained it to, as if some invisible force has wrested from you the polite trappings of modern society and replaced them with something more vital and fundamental. Yes, you may not know it, but you are changing - the metamorphosis has begun.

And yet this is still only Friday afternoon. You're barely at the front edge of this festive wave, which has yet to rise to its full majesty and engulf the entire city. For the next four days, except for the few hours each day that you might collapse into any bed available to grab a few winks of sleep, your body and mind will be focused on only one thing - the relentless mystical cadence of Carnival. It will grasp you to it and draw you in like an irreverent and irresistible siren. Time will become fluid, as it does on a long road trip at night, when the miles seem to pass by endlessly and the journey seems to have no beginning or end. And all this can happen without taking one drop of wine, beer or other liquid inducement. It isn't necessary. The elation of the dance and joyful revelry are intoxicants enough - and the smiles of those about you are just added bubbles in the brew. It's really quite radical if you think about it, being healthfully intoxicated - without any hangover.

Four days later, when Carnival ends as all good things must, you'll find yourself like a sailor that leaves a vessel after a long voyage and is unable to regain his 'land' legs. The first echo of a samba will set you swaying and your feet tapping in time to its rhythm. And this strange phenomenon will continue for years to come without the slightest thought or consciousness on your part. In short, don't think you can attend Rio Carnival without being changed by it. You will be - and for the better I would venture to guess. That's the magic of Carnival.

Now, there are three primary activities during Carnival. The street bands and street carnivals, the balls and the formal parades of the samba schools. These are all worth your time but the balls hold a particular fascination for many. Held during Carnival and the month leading up to it, these affairs could not be further from your idea of what a 'formal ball' should be. To begin with, the balls start in the evening and go straight on through until the following morning. Things don't wind down until it begins getting light outside. Then, totally spent, everyone scurries home for a short nap so they can party again the rest of the day.

One morning, returning from a ball, we drove past Copacabana beach and saw scattered bodies of revelers, left over from the previous evening's festivities, sprawled about the beach, no doubt in the exact positions where they had passed out the night before. High above them a flock of vultures circled slowly - perhaps hopefully. Observing this scene, one of my friends remarked dryly: "Looks as though we missed one of the better parties."

The music at the balls is even more intense and relentless indoors than out in the street. Maybe its the sheer volume or the fact that there are two bands, so the music never stops. When one band finishes, they bridge with a few introductory bars of music and the second band picks up where the first one left off. It's a 'marathon' dance event. You can't stop and won't want to. So you better be in shape or you won't make it through till morning.

Here's some good advice. Dress in light comfortable clothes, wear athletic shoes and drink plenty of 'non-alcoholic' beverages. You're going to need them. Also, hang onto your partner. It's very easy to become separated in the jostling crowd. Speaking of which, many Rio couples rent out their apartments and leave town for the entire week of Carnival. This provides them with some extra cash and assures a long happy marriage. Enough said.

If you plan to attend Carnival, book immediately. If you can't get into Rio, try Salvador or Recife. These Brazilian cities are also famous for their Carnivals. And try to rent an apartment rather than booking a hotel. If you go as a group it will be much less expensive and all the hotels are booked by this time anyway (up to six monthe in advance) - unless of course you're booking for next year - and you might as well. You're going to want to go back.

The web sites listed below provide more detailed info about Rio Carnival.

Rio-Carnival.net rio-carnival.net

Brazil Travel Information www.braziltravelinformation.com

Lonely Planet www.lonelyplanet.com