Classic Carnaval Essentials

Carnaval is Brazil’s biggest, most elaborate celebration, marking the start of Lent on the Friday afternoon before Ash Wednesday and concluding five days later. The tradition began in Rio de Janeiro in the late 18th century, but these days regional variations thrive all over the massive country, each with its own distinctive flavor. High-energy parades feature wall-to-wall live, heavily percussive music rooted in diverse, local Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and each year samba schools create new songs to perform alongside a classic repertoire. The exuberant, fast-paced music adapts and updates styles like samba, axe, and frevo in ever-twisting hybrids. Many of Brazil’s greatest singers—Beth Carvalho, Gal Costa, Daniela Mercury—have produced ubiquitous hits for the endless parties; groups like Olodum and Timbalada reflect the relentless percussive throb produced by a phalanx of caixas, pandeiros, cuícas, and surdos. Melodies are designed to be infectious sing-alongs, encouraging group participation beyond feverish dancing.