The annual Carnival in Brazil is a unique festival. It is also the most important ethnic celebration. It comes between the end of February and the beginning of March every year. Hundreds of thousands of tourists from overseas were attracted to join the feast of rejoicing, which involves flamboyant costumes, sexy Brazilian girls and passionate Samba dance.

The earliest Carnival dates back to 1641, when the colonial rulers implemented a decree. According to it, people would be encouraged to parade, dance and drink unrestrainedly to celebrate the birthday of the Portuguese King. More than three hundred years later, the Carnival has become the most important folk festival of Brazil.

On February 24th of this year, the “King Momo” dressed in bright orange, took the gold key of the city from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, to signify the beginning of Carnival. During the following five days, the “King”，who plays a leading role in the Carnival, would throw out all daily routines, so that people could indulge themselves. The “King Momo” this year was a 33-year-old architect. His name was Alex de Oliveira.

“King Momo” is also known as “the King of Carnival”. He is hand-picked by Rio residents. There was once a rule that required the “King” to weigh no less than 100 kg. Today, there is a rule that the “King” shouldn’t be heavier than 130 kg.

The main “course” of the carnival is the Samba dance. Months before the Carnival, some professional Samba schools will set out to compose music, rehearse dances and design costumes according to the current theme of the Carnival.

The Carnival is highlighted with the Samba competitions, where every Samba school would send thousands of dancers to participate. Every school has 90 minutes to demonstrate their performance and have them graded by experts. The winner is given one million US dollars. Generally the tickets for the Smnba competition would be sold out a month In advance.

Block parades have become an expressive feature of Rio’s Carnival. Today, they number more than 100 and the groups increase each year. Blocos can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a distinct title with an often funny pun. They may also note their neighborhood or social status. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach. Some blocos never leave one street and have a particular place, such as a bar, to attract viewers. Block parades start in January, and may last until the Sunday after Carnival.

Blocos parade in nearly every neighborhood, but the most famous ones parade in Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa, Jardim Bot nico, and in downtown Rio. Organizers often compose their own music themes that are added to the performance and singing of classic “marchinhas” and samba popular songs.

The northeastern cities of Salvador, Porto Seguro and Recife have also organized groups parading through streets, but watchers are also welcome to dance. They follow the “trio el6trico” floats through the city streets.

Seven hundred thousand tourists swarmed the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. Whoever they are poor or rich, celebrity or ordinary people—they are all just dancers, day and night. Happiness prevails, while complaints disappear Countless romantic stories occur during the celebrations, brightening everyone’s dull daily life. In order to safeguard Carnival, the Brazilian government dispatched 25 million free condoms to help prevent the spread of venereal diseases.