Millions of revellers took to the streets of Brazil as thermometers raced over 40, writes TOM HENNIGANin São Paulo
MILLIONS OF revellers have taken over cities across Brazil as the world’s biggest carnival celebration takes place amidst the hottest temperatures in over half a century.
In Rio de Janeiro thermometers have raced past 40 degrees as locals and three quarters of a million tourists spent the weekend dancing in the street, following over 200 traditional bloco groups as they wound their way through neighbourhoods. On Saturday one group alone, the Black Ball bloco, pounded out samba for an estimated 1.5 million people – many in outrageous fancy dress costume – as it made its way through the city’s centre.
Day-long beer drinking is as traditional as the samba rhythms that engulf the city, particularly as high humidity pushed the thermal sensation towards 50 degrees. But this year authorities sought to crack down on one carnival tradition – revellers relieving themselves in the street.
Dozens of people were arrested over the weekend for public urination as part of the city’s “order shock” campaign which seeks to clamp down on petty lawlessness in the unruly metropolis which is preparing to host the Olympic Games in 2016.
In recent years Rio has seen a revival in street parties centred on the blocos which have long attracted millions to carnival in cities such as Salvador and Recife, but have been overshadowed in Rio by the world famous parade with its dazzling floats.
The parade got under way last night as the city’s traditional samba schools danced into the small hours in front of 90,000 spectators in the specially designed sambódromo stadium. This year the event has sparked a measure of controversy over the decision of one of the schools to give its coveted “queen of the percussion” slot to a seven-year-old girl.
The role is renowned for its overtly sexual nature in which women, usually stars of Brazil’s racy soap operas and Playboy centrefolds, wearing little more than feathers and glitter dance before massed ranks of samba drummers.
Children’s groups had asked a judge to stop the Viradouro school from handing the honour to Julia Lira, whose father happens to be the school’s president. But the courts refused to intervene and the girl’s parents said they would accompany their daughter, whom they reassured would be dressed in a skirt and top as opposed to the near invisible costume of other percussion queens, at all times.
Rio’s parade is a fierce competition between the city’s top 12 samba schools, most of which are from the city’s slums. Each spends millions of euro and months of preparation in the battle to be crowned champion of carnival.
In Brazil’s business capital of São Paulo samba schools, which play second fiddle to their more illustrious rivals in Rio, sought to boost numbers attending the parade in the city’s smaller sambódromo by promising to increase the amount of nudity on display.
The big attraction at the São Paulo parade was football star Ronaldo, who now plays for the city’s most popular football club, Corinthians.
He paraded with the Hawks of the Faithful, the samba school of the club’s biggest supporter group and almost caused a riot as fans tried to embrace the player.
Foreign celebrities in Brazil to join the party included Madonna, whose current boyfriend is the Rio model and DJ Jesus Luz, and the socialite Paris Hilton. The guest of a local beer company, Hilton caused a storm when she showed up at a party in a transparent dress and tumbled on the dance floor in front of a pack of photographers.