Brazil's world-famous carnival begins

Brazil's world-famous carnival started on Friday, 17 February, with lights, technology, sculptures and brave choreographed numbers, carnival festivities will lift the spirits of locals and tourists.

Sertanejo is now the most famous musical style in most of the states (particularly Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goias, Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul). Samba is still very popular in Rio de Janeiro, which hosts the South American country's most iconic festival.

The carnival atmosphere has taken over the so-called City of Wonders since the beginning of the month, but this Friday the fun officially begins.

Colourful parades start in the streets with music, groups of people in colourful costumes setting the mood for the the coming days. The first colourful blocos (a group of people who parade in a semi-organised way, often dressed in uniform and performing the same fantasy) and parades of decorated cars appears in the streets.

At least 21 such demonstrations will take place on city streets throughout Friday, as reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.

The parade of 12 samba schools of the so-called Special Group (among 100 planned for this year) is considered the world's biggest open-air spectacle and the main attraction of carnival in Rio.

Thousands of participants will perform their numbers on shapely decorative platforms to rousing music: the academics will have around 70 minutes to captivate the jury and the audience at the Marques de Sapucay on Sambodromo, a 700m-long main square with podiums on both sides.

Authorities calculate that an estimated five million people will enjoy the festivities in Rio.

Some 46 million people, including foreign tourists, will take part in the festivities across the country, according to the tourism ministry. Around US$1.558 billion is expected to be raised.

A study conducted by the Brazilian Hotel Association shows that occupancy rates in the country's hotel chain during carnival should be high, especially in states that traditionally host the festivities.

In the southeast, in Rio, hotel occupancy is expected to reach 85 per cent, and hotel occupancy is expected to reach close to 100 per cent on the days of the festivity.

Historians note that carnival was introduced to Brazil by Portuguese colonists in the 16th and 17th centuries. Carnival is analogous to the Portuguese Pancake Day, accompanied by songs, dances and mass water throwing. From the twentieth century its popularity encouraged the emergence of samba, a musical style strongly influenced by African culture, and the parade of its schools, an event that eventually became official with government support.

Alongside the bombastic podiums of the sambodromes, another carnival has become entrenched, bringing millions of people to the streets across the country, dancing in their own peculiar manner.

The Brazilian carnival is a spectacular sight, the most important annual event. Find out the most interesting facts about this large-scale event in our article.

Photo: neuronet