Brazil Carnival

Alves, Juliana is the next Carnival Muse we will portray in our Goddess of Brazil Carnaval Gallery. The 27 years old Brazilian actress is the new sensation on the entrainment scenario and is a long enthusiast of the samba and Carnaval. Let´s understand how this passion was born. In an interview, Juliana Alves stated she began listening to classic samba composers like Cartola, Paulinho da Viola, with her father called Sebastião. According to Alves, Juliana the samba was so embedded within the family that they even had a kind of ‘family anthem’, which was late Gonzaguinha´s famous song called “O que é o que é?” .

Above, the Juliana Alves, Carnaval Queen as Perola Negra Samba-School Drum Queen from Sao Paulo

Juliana is a passionate samba fan and has been literally to all samba-schools ‘quadras’ in Rio, where she practices her samba routines. (The Brazilian Muse actually lives two blocks away from Unidos da Vila Samba-School premises. ) Some of these quadras include Unidos da Tijuca, Portela, Mocidade Independente, Império da Tijuca, and Salgueiro. Important not to forget Juliana started her professional life as a true dancer, so she naturally has rhythm, specially samba, running thorough her veins. Continue reading »

Tags: Alves Juliana, Brazil Carnival, Brazil Carnival Events, Brazil Carnival Photos, Brazil Carnival Pics, Brazil Carnival Winners, Brazil Muse, Carnaval of Brazil

Carnival is a four-day from celebration, happening from Saturday through Tuesday. It is usually in February, sometimes in March.

As dates change every year, one of the questions we get all the time is what exactly are the Carnival days in a specific year. It may be sometime in the past – I know what you did last Carnival! But most times it’s people trying to plan ahead, like, a decade ahead!

If this is the question you had in mind, skip the dull explanations, and jump to our Carnival Date Finder! If you are trying to figure out the mystery, linger on. To find the correct dates, first you have to know when Easter happens. Then just count back the weeks. Seven weeks to be precise. Carnival Sunday is 49 days before Easter Sunday. Seems easy, right?

Not really. Easter changes dates every year, so we are basically back to square one… Now we are giving you a second chance to jump to the Carnival Date Finder, as the details are even duller. Easter happens on the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or after the Spring Equinox. The Spring Equinox is the first day of Spring of the Northern Hemisphere.

This is the way things were defined by the Council of Nicaea in AD325, so who are we to question. In AD590 Gregorius I, the Great, set a date named dominica ad carne levandas, that supposedly was eventually shortened into the term Carnaval we use today in the Portuguese language.

There are more complications. From circa 46 BC to 1582 most countries used the Julian calendar. The first records of Carnival in Brazil date back to around the 1720’s, though, with the arrival of Portuguese immigrants coming from the islands of Azores and Cabo Verde. We will thus keep things simple (as if), and stick to the Gregorian Calendar, the most widely used in the world today.

Now let’s cut to the chase: we developed a Carnival Date Finder that is good for any year from 1583 to 9999! We hope to see you in Rio before that, of course. For tips on things to do and see next Carnival try our Carnival Party Planner!

2004 March 4, 5, 6, 7
2005 February 5, 6, 7, 8
2006 February 25, 26, 27, 28
2007 February 17, 18, 19, 20
2008 February 2, 3, 4, 5
2009 February 21, 22, 23, 24
2010 February 13, 14, 15, 16
2011 March 5, 6, 7, 8
2012 February 18-21
2013 February 9, 10, 11, 12
2014 March 1, 2, 3, 4

Tags: Brasil - Carnival Brazil, Brazil Carnaval, Brazil Carnival 2009, Brazil Carnival Dates, Brazil Carnival Events, Brazil Carnival Pics, Brazil Guide Travel

Quadra Mangueira 2008 – Brincando com Gracyanne Barbosa

Tags: Brazil Carnival, Brazil Carnival 2009, Brazil Carnival Events, Brazil Carnival Photos, Brazil Carnival Pic, Brazil Carnival Videos, Brazilian Carnival 2009, Carnival 2009, Gracyanne Barbosa, Gracyanne Barbosa Dancing, News 2009 Rio Carnival, Quadra Mangueira 2008

Gracy Kelly – A Rainha do BumBum

Tags: A Rainha do BumBum, Brazil Carnival 2009, Brazil Carnival Events, Brazil Carnival Videos, Gracy Kelly, Gracy Kelly Samba, Rainha, Rainha do BumBum, video carnaval rio, Video Coelho, Video Rahina de Bateria

Third place winner, Grande Rio, during Carnival 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, stars the “Queen of the drummers,” Grazielli Massafero, recorded with my photography camera (sorry about the quality).

Carnival 2008 -Grande Rio Samba School

Tags: Brazil Carnival 2009, Brazil Carnival Events, Brazil Carnival Videos, carnival in rio de janeiro, Grande Rio Samba School, Professional Sambachoreography of Sidney Maria from Rio de Janeiro, Rio Carnival 2008, Rio de Janeiro, rio de janeiro carnival, Salgueiro Samba School, samba school, Samba School Rehearsal, video carnaval rio, Video Coelho, Video Rahina de Bateria