Tonight will mark the start of the 2011 Rio de Janeiro Carnival in Brazil. The Rio Carnival has been celebrated annually since 1723, and it is one of the biggest celebrations of the year in Brazil. During Carnival, Brazilians consume 80% of the alcohol consumption for the year and 70% of Brazil’s tourists come during the celebration. The entire country celebrates the holiday and is virtually shut down for almost a whole week.The celebration is always held in the days leading up to Lent and is held in numerous states across the country including Bahia, Pernambuco and Minar Gerais, and also many cities such as Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, and Camboriu, though the celebration in Rio is the largest and most well-known.
The Opening Ceremony is tonight, where the Carnival King will be crowned by the mayor and receives keys to the city, followed the Children’s Samba School Parade. The majority of the Carnival is made up of different samba schools competing against each other in a large, festive, parade-style competition. Schools can either be actual schools or just groups of neighbors. Each team builds elaborate floats and costumes and they use these props to represent whichever theme they have picked. There are also a number of balls, races, performances, and other parties that go one simultaneously. Included this year are the new “Ball of the Beer” which, as it sounds, is a night of unlimited beer and live music, along with the famous “Gay Costume Ball,” which is always a favorite of locals and tourists alike. The 2011 Carnival is expected to draw over 2 million visitors.
What better time that the biggest party of the year to check in with friends and family, especially as anyone who no longer lives in Brazil is certainly missing their home country on a week like this. With StanaCard, you can reach Brazil with a local call, and pay as low as 3.99 cents a minute.
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