Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a popular religious and social-historical festival that has been held for five consecutive days in February since 1893, when the first carnival ranch, the "King of Diamonds", was created by Hilário Jovino Ferreira, from Pernambuco. This festival is considered the largest carnival in the world by the Book of Records. It is a world famous celebration, consisting of different types of cultural manifestations, such as samba school parades, masquerade balls, mobile parties of blocos de embalo followed by their costumed revelers, and also street bands and samba bands ("escolas de samba" of small size), called cordões. It is also characterized by irreverence and banality, by names with double meanings (especially those of the blocos), and by cultural, musical, and sexual diversity.

The competitive parade of samba schools was idealized by journalist Mário Filho (brother of playwright Nelson Rodrigues and from Pernambuco like Hilário Jovino), who organized through his periodical Mundo Esportivo the first official competition in 1932. Another Recife native, Pedro Ernesto, also acted decisively for the success of the event: when mayor of the then Federal District, he became the first politician to give financial support to the carnaval, within a project that aimed to transform Rio de Janeiro into a tourism power, and in 1935 he recognized and made official the parades.

Rio's carnival can be considered a highly prestigious cultural event, having already been elected, by the internet users of the foreign website Fun Party, as the best party in the world. It is constantly cited as the most famous carnival in existence.