World's largest party going on

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-24 11:08

A view of Academicos do Grande Rio samba school floats with dancers at the Sambodrome on the first night of the Carnival samba school parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday. Carnival, the biggest and most popular celebration in Brazil, is often dubbed the largest party in the world.[Agencies]

More Photos on Rio's Carnival

Bubbles, feathers and glitter swirled on the first night of parades in Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, as the city's samba schools battled it out for top honors in what many bill as the world's largest party.

Brazilian celebrities and slum dwellers danced alongside each other as some samba schools put on brave faces amid the world financial crisis and replaced cash with creativity and enthusiasm.

"Carnival is our Thanksgiving," said Renato Teixeira, a 25-year-old construction worker attending the parades. "As long as we have a good showing in general, Rio's samba schools have accomplished a lot."

The first night of parades lasted from Sunday into early yesterday morning with at least four schools parading.

"They say this is the year of the Carnival in crisis, but the party that lives inside us all has no price," said Miqueas Cherry, 30, a seamstress who helped create costumes for the Grande Rio samba school.

The samba-school parades are the centerpiece of the world's largest Carnival bash - and schools compete fiercely to dominate the show.

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