Travel
Parading in beautiful costumes is at the heart of the Rio Carnival; the more feathers, sequins and clashing colour-ways the better. It is also the time to show off extraordinary and unique costumes.
Every samba school creates a theme and it seems that the costumes get crazier each and every year. In 2012 we saw both young and old flock to the streets and the parades (Sambodromo) in weird and wonderful disguises. From men dressing in drag giving Brazil’s glamorous women a run for their money to schools dressing up in elaborate flamingo costumes, Rio Carnival has it all.
Photos by sfmission.com via Flickr Creative Commons
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Travel
Countries and Their Costumes: The Rio Carnival
Rio Carnival is one of the most magical events in the party calendar. People from across the globe come together to watch parades flock the streets of Rio de Janeiro and catch a glimpse of the colourful costumes. Last year Rio de Janeiro saw 850,000 tourists visit the city. This saw the figure of Rio Carnival attendees rise to more than 2.5 million people!
It is a high-energy event that has the entirety of Rio de Janeiro in good spirits. From February 9th to 12th 2013 this great city will be filled with colour, song, dance and an unforgettable atmosphere. There is no other carnival like it on Earth.
Parading in beautiful costumes is at the heart of the Rio Carnival; the more feathers, sequins and clashing colour-ways the better. It is also the time to show off extraordinary and unique costumes.
Traditional Costumes
Most famously the samba and carnival costumes consisted of skull masks, old man disguises, donkey costumes and devil outfits. Other more traditional costumes were themed around death, the bat, pierrot, domino, the Prince, the mandarin, the Maharaja and the Rajah. However, with the ban of masks in 1685 (there were odd occasions when masks were allowed) and the price increase of cloth and ornaments in the 1930s, these costumes started to disappear.
It wasn’t until after the ‘50s that barely-there outfits were worn. Thanks to the blazing heat of Brazil, women opted for two piece bathing suits and men preferred white trousers or shorts. Three centuries passed and the bikini and bare bust costumes that we know and love today came on the scene.
Modern Costumes
Although the costumes worn by women are very skimpy they are very elaborate and require a lot of time and effort to create. Millions of sequins, beads, feathers and other ornaments are used to create these spectacular costumes and most are sewn on by hand. The type of costumes that you will see during Rio Carnival will depend on the neighbourhood that you visit. There are many parties, street parades and balls to attend and each one brings something new and exciting.
Every samba school creates a theme and it seems that the costumes get crazier each and every year. In 2012 we saw both young and old flock to the streets and the parades (Sambodromo) in weird and wonderful disguises. From men dressing in drag giving Brazil’s glamorous women a run for their money to schools dressing up in elaborate flamingo costumes, Rio Carnival has it all.
There are four parades in the Sambodromo:
Samba Schools in the Special group
Champions Parade
Samba Schools in the Access Group
Children’s Samba Schools
There are seven Rio Carnival Balls:
The Magic Ball at Copacaban Palace Hotel
Scala Balls
Black Balls
Samba School Mangueria Ball
The Marvelous City Ball
Long live the Beer! Ball
Gay Gala Ball
Other Rio Carnival events include:
Samba Land (Terreirão do Samba)
Merry Making in Lapa
Street Parties
Popular street dance at Cinelândia
Outside the Sambodromo
Photos by sfmission.com via Flickr Creative Commons
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I love Venice, fin de siecle parties and sophisticated dresses, and this year's Venice Carnival is all about that. The 2011 theme is “Ottocento– da Senso a Sissi, la città delle donne”, a tribute to women and to the Unification of Italy....
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Diversity is the foundation of a stay in Trinidad or Tobago, a dual island destination where you can party all night long or fall asleep to the sounds of a tropical forest. Trinidad is best known for its Carnival celebrations, and it’s easy to see...