BRAZIL: Carnival-goers let the good times roll in Rio

Record ID: 536699

  • Title: BRAZIL: Carnival-goers let the good times roll in Rio
  • Date: 3rd February 2008
  • Summary: (W3) RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (FEBRUARY 02, 2008) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF STREET PROCESSION IN DOWNTOWN AVENUE REVELLERS WEARING CARNIVAL COSTUMES VARIOUS OF DRUMMERS PLAYING IN BAND (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PRESIDENT OF "CORDAO DO BOLA PRETA" BAND, PEDRO MARINHO, SAYING: "Bola Preta (Black Ball Band) sends out a message to the world, a message of peace. While many are in
  • Embargoed: 18th February 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA55QOVNSZVXGJDDG1HQ1QO10DO
  • Story Text: Some 100,000 Brazilian revellers take over the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro to party along with the city's most traditional Carnival band.
    After a night of partying, some 100,000 Brazilians and tourists woke up early to dance along with Rio de Janeiro's most traditional street Carnival band on Saturday (February 02) morning.
    Usually packed with honking cars and buses, the city's main downtown avenue became crammed with noisy revellers in wedding dresses, superhero suits, and politician masks all singing to the traditional samba tunes of the "Cordao do Bola Preta", or Black Ball Band, who have been playing every year since 1918.
    The beer-slicked streets of Rio will be taken over by raucous crowds of marry-makers in the upcoming days of Carnival along with the city's "blocos" and "bandas".
    Rio has over 300 street procession groups led by social clubs with names like "Come to me, I'm easy," "Scare the baby,"
    "Suck but don't slobber," and "The Armpit of Christ,"
    based under an outstretched arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue.
    The head of the "Cordao do Bola Preta", Pedro Marinho, said the band has been spreading peace and love for over 90 years.

    "Bola Preta" (Black Ball Band) sends out a message to the world, a message of peace. While many are in war, killing each other, "Bola Preta" is distributing love, because "Bola Preta" is peace and love, 90 years of peace and love," he said.
    They lack the lavish floats, elaborate costumes and almost nude beauty queens of the official parades but they compensate for that with the pure joy of relentless dancing and singing as beer flows freely and flirting abounds.
    Reveller Jobson Barrubo, who never misses a "Cordao do Bola Preta" parade, said all races come together peacefully during Carnival.

    "The "Bola Preta" doesn't have whites or blacks, indians or half-castes. It's Brazil demonstrating it is capable of reaching harmony," he said.
    An estimated 700,000 Brazilian and foreign tourists are expected to join in the five-day fiesta, famed the world over for its extravagant samba parades and dancers dressed in little more than plumed head-dresses and high-heeled shoes.
    More than 9,500 police will patrol the streets for Carnival, which peaks when the city's top samba groups march in the Sambadrome parade strip on Sunday (February 03) and Monday (February 04) nights.
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