Revelers Parade Until Dawn as Carnival Winds Down

asia.reuters.com Tue March 4, 2003 09:10 AM ET By Todd Benson

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro's famed Carnival parade came to a close at dawn on Tuesday after tons of body glitter and 20 hours of samba dazzled millions of viewers in Brazil and beyond.

Under threat from drug gangs that terrorized Rio last week, the two-day competition between 14 samba schools took place under its heaviest security as 3,000 army troops were called in to back up 30,000 police safeguarding the city.

It was the first time the army had to be deployed to help keep the city safe during the annual bash. It is an anything goes farewell to sin, ushering in the 40 days of Lent before Easter in this predominantly Catholic nation of 170 million people.

But the fears of violence and the military presence did little to spoil the party, which was expected to attract some 400,000 out-of-town visitors, including 4,000 foreigners. It was also broadcast live to millions in Brazil and abroad.

"You don't think you're going to make it, and then you hear all those people screaming and you get another burst of energy and just keep going," said an exhausted Larry Karpen, a 34-year-old music producer from New York City. He spent $125 to don a costume and parade before 70,000 cheering fans in Rio's massive "Sambadrome" stadium.

Decked out in elaborate, shimmering costumes, or as little as possible to avoid breaking the no-nudity rule, thousands of revelers in each samba school parade down a 700-yard (meter) runway backed by a thundering drum section and giant floats.

Each group is made up of about 4,000 people, many of whom have spent months rehearsing, and has 80 minutes to finish the course. They are judged on criteria including music, percussion, costumes, floats, originality and enthusiasm.

This year's themes ranged from Brazil's African roots to its other national pastime, soccer, paying tribute to the country's fifth World Cup title last year. One of the biggest crowd pleasers was the Beija-Flor samba school, which used the event to denounce the poverty and violence so common in Brazil.

Beija-Flor's floats depicted smoky visions of hell, a violent car-jacking, hungry prisoners in squalid jail cells and, at the end, a massive likeness of Brazil's popular new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula has promised to fight hunger and bridge the country's gaping income disparities.

"What we're telling is the story of humanity, and to do that we have to talk about what's going on in Brazil," said Beija-Flor's director, who is known simply as Laila.

Although purists complain that Carnival has become too commercial as companies sponsor schools in exchange for what they say are thinly veiled ads disguised as samba themes, those who participate in the parade swear it is a one-of-a-kind experience.

"It was my first time but it won't be my last. I adored it," gushed Thais Nogueira, a 23-year-old drag queen and "Miss Gay Brazil" who paraded with the Unidos da Tijuca school.

The winning school will be announced on Ash Wednesday, when the festivities across the country officially come to a close.

Some sporadic violence flared in the streets outside the Sambadrome and in the vibrant block parties that take place throughout Rio, which is as well known for its high crime rates as it is its breathtaking scenery.

During the first night of parading, six people were shot and one was killed by police outside the stadium after thieves swept through the area and assaulted passers-by. One American tourist was shot in the leg over the weekend while being mugged, but has since been released from the hospital.

Still, the incidents were nothing close to the coordinated attacks that rocked the city last week, when drug gangs torched buses, threw firebombs at apartment buildings and shot at police posts. Eleven people died in the violence.

"I think people forgot about the violence and focused on samba," said Marcos Antonio, a 37-year-old Rio native.