Preparing For The Rio Carnival

S o, this is the Brazil.           over the whole city of Rio and     This is what Rio de Janeiro     culminating in the Rio Carnival    is really all about. When       Parade also known as the Samba     the Carnival arrives, companies       Parade.                            close down, shops shut their                                             doors early, and streets are          The Rio Carnival is an event of    closed off to make way for            mere days, but the result of       dancing, parties and parades.         months of preparation. The most    This awe inspiring festivity not      giving and hardworking hands       only provides entertainment for       during the months before are       the thousands of people attending     often the ones most overlooked by  the Carnival, but also for the        outside eyes. These are the        millions watching it on their         people who make the Carnival what  televisions, giving them a chance     it is, they add an ingredient      to learn about the true culture       that couldn't possibly be          of Brazil.                            replicated by the largest tourist                                        operator, most experienced guide   The next Carnival starts on           or multi million dollar sponsor.   Saturday 25th February 2006, and      They are the people from Rio de    ends on Fat Tuesday leading up to     Janeiro's poorest neighbourhoods,  Ash Wednesday, the beginning of       the so called favelas or shanty    Lent in the Roman Catholic            towns.                             calendar. This happens to be                                             during the hottest time of the        So where did you think all the     year in the Southern Hemisphere,      magic and thrill Carnival is       when summer is at its peak. When      famous for started? From the       that Saturday arrives then it's       production of the elaborate        Carnival all over the place, in       costumes to the performance and    the streets and squares, bars,        choreography of the costume        clubs and other venues, taking        bearers, residents of the favelas  are deeply involved with every        party of any school. Most are      aspect of the Carnival. More          quite far out of from the main     often than not, this is done          parts of Rio de Janeiro and some   through their participation and       of the areas they are situated in  membership to a local samba           can be rough. To this end I would  school.                               recommend going with a group in a                                        package including a local escort,  The samba schools, with members       and round-trip transportation.     reaching the thousands, will get      Once you're inside, it's very      together on a regular basis           safe. I would recommend not going  throughout the year for               flashy or having anything          rehearsals and samba nights. All      valuable with you except of        the samba schools have rehearsal      course your camera. This is only   spaces, called samba courts, or       due to the high density and        locally known as quadras de           energetic atmosphere of these      samba. They open, in most cases,      events and you are more likely to  at weekends for anyone, including     lose or damage such items rather   tourists like you and me, as long     than have them stolen.             as you pay the small fee at the                                          door. To anyone who's not been to     So maybe you are planning to come  one of these places they can only     to the Rio carnival, or maybe not  be described as nightclubs with       and you just want to sample some   samba.                                of the rich carnival energy that                                         lasts all year round in this       This is the best way to make          city. Either way, visiting a       contact with the real samba and       Samba school is a great            people of Rio de Janeiro. The         pre-Carnival excursion.            nights are totally informal, and                                         members of all ages including         If you are coming for the main     many old people can go to the         event then remember it also means  a bit of preparation on your part     best hotels, especially around     too. You should not only get your     Copacabana and Ipanema, are        flight, but do a bit of research      booked up early, so it's           on your Carnival tickets in           advisable to make your hotel       advance. Try to plan your             reservations as soon as you have   Carnival activities ahead to          decided to attend this             sample the immense variety on         spectacular event.                 offer. Include in your must-do's                                         the Samba Parade, street parties,     The next article in this series    and balls. You should also really     is titled ‘Rio Carnival - The    organize your accommodation for       Main Event'.                       the carnival well in advance. The      About the Author: Ally Colquhoun has travelled extensively throughout South America, particularly in Brazil and visits Rio de Janeiro on a regular basis. He runs a website at http://www.riolocal.com where tourists can find more information and resources about Rio de Janeiro. Source: www.isnare.com