RIO CARNIVAL * SONG'S FROM BRAZIL

Samba Schools History Carnival has been celebrated in Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro for centuries, but samba schools were only first inaugurated in Rio Carnival in the 1920s. At the end of the 19th century, immigrants from Bahia state brought with them the tradition of playing candomble and dancing a bahian dance called the samba. In the slums of downtown Rio, a place referred to as 'Little Africa', they established a number of religious houses devoted to religious ceremonies where they played and danced the early forms of However African religions were illegal in a dominantly Catholic Brazil. These roots of samba remained invisible to the white elite for a long time. The samba schools' parading structure originates from groups parading during Carnival in the 19th century. Even at this juncture they already had included; the Vanguard Commission, a chosen theme, floats, and the flag bearing couple, all of which are essential parts of today's samba sc...