Brazil鈥檚 Carnival is back.
Glittery and outrageous costumes were prepared once again. Samba songs were ringing out 鈥榯il dawn at Rio de Janeiro鈥檚 sold-out parade grounds. Hundreds of raucous, roaming parties were flooding the streets. And working-class communities were buoyed, emotionally and economically, by the renewed revelry.
The COVID-19 pandemic last year prompted Rio to delay Carnival by two months, and , which was attended . This year, Brazil鈥檚 federal government expects 46 million people to join the festivities that officially began Friday and runs through Feb. 22. That includes visitors to cities that make Carnival a world-famous bash, especially Rio but also Salvador, Recife and metropolitan Sao Paulo, which has recently emerged as a hotspot.
These cities have already begun letting loose.
鈥淲e鈥檝e waited for so long, we deserve this catharsis,鈥� Thiago Varella, a 38-year-old engineer wearing a Hawaiian shirt drenched by the rain, said at a bash in Sao Paulo.
Most tourists were eager to go to the street parties, . Rio has permitted more than 600 of them, and there are more unsanctioned blocos. The biggest blocos lure millions to the streets, including one bloco that plays Beatles songs with a Carnival rhythm for a crowd of hundreds of thousands. Such major blocos were called off last year.
鈥淲e want to see the partying, the colors, the people and ourselves enjoying Carnival,鈥� Chilean tourist Sofia Uma帽a, 28, said near Copacabana beach.
The premier spectacle is at the Sambadrome. Top samba schools, which are based in Rio鈥檚 more working-class neighborhoods, spend millions on hour-long parades with elaborate floats and costumes, said Jorge Perlingeiro, president of Rio鈥檚 league of samba schools.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 good and beautiful costs a lot; Carnival materials are expensive,鈥� Perlingeiro said in an interview in his office beside the samba schools鈥� warehouses. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such an important party 鈥� It鈥檚 a party of culture, happiness, entertainment, leisure and, primarily, its commercial and social side.鈥�
He added that this year鈥檚 Carnival will smash records at the Sambadrome, where some 100,000 staff and spectators are expected each day in the sold-out venue, plus 18,000 paraders. While President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva is not expected to be among them, his wife Ros芒ngela da Silva has said she will be at the parade.
The first lady鈥檚 attendance signals a shift from the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who kept his distance from the .
Nearly 700,000 Brazilians died in the pandemic, the world鈥檚 second-highest national total, after the U.S., and many blamed , weakening his bid for reelection that he ultimately lost. Many at this year鈥檚 street parties are celebrating not just the return of Carnival, but also Bolsonaro鈥檚 defeat.
That was the case at the Heaven on Earth street party in Rio鈥檚 bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood on Feb. 11. Musicians pounded their drums as some revelers climbed fences to watch the scene from above the pulsing throng. Anilson Costa, a stilt-walker, already had a prime view from his elevated perch. Covered in flowers and brightly colored pom-poms, he poured a watering can labeled 鈥淟OVE鈥� over people dancing below him.
鈥淪eeing this crowd today is a dream, it鈥檚 very magical,鈥� said Costa. 鈥淭his is the , the Carnival of democracy, the Carnival of rebirth.鈥�
This year shares some of the spirit of the 1919 edition, which took place right after Spanish influenza killed tens of thousands of Brazilians, but was no longer a significant threat. WWI had just ended, too, and people were eager to unburden themselves, said David Butter, the author of a book about that year鈥檚 celebration.
鈥淭here were so many people in Rio鈥檚 city center for Carnival that the whole region ran out of water within hours,鈥� said Butter.
颁补谤苍颈惫补濒鈥檚 and its lower-key version last year pummeled an industry that is a nearly year-long source of jobs for carpenters, welders, sculptors, electricians, dancers, choreographers and everyone else involved in bringing parades to the public. As such, 颁补谤苍颈惫补濒鈥檚 full-fledged return is a shot in the arm for local economies.
鈥淵esterday, I went to sleep at 3 in the morning. Today, I鈥檒l leave earlier, because I鈥檝e lost my voice,鈥� said seamstress Luciene Moreira, 60, as she sewed a yellow costume in samba school Salgueiro鈥檚 warehouse. 鈥淵ou have to sleep later one day, earlier the next; otherwise, the body can鈥檛 handle it. But it is very enjoyable!鈥�
Rio expects some 5 billion reais (about $1 billion) in revenue at its bars, hotels and restaurants, the president of the city鈥檚 tourism agency, Ronnie Costa, told the AP. Rio鈥檚 hotels are at 85% capacity, according to Brazil鈥檚 hotel association, which expects last-minute deals to bring that figure near to its max. Small businesses are benefiting, too.
鈥淐arnival is beautiful, people are buying, thank God all my employees are paid up to date,鈥� said Jorge Francisco, who sells sequined and sparkled Carnival accoutrements at his shop in downtown Rio. 鈥淔or me, this is an immense joy, everyone smiling and wanting. That鈥檚 how Carnival is.鈥�
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Savarese reported from Sao Paulo. AP journalists Mario Lob茫o, Diarlei Rodrigues and Lucas Dumphreys contributed from Rio.
Mauricio Savarese And David Biller, The Associated Press
