Some revelers view this year's Carnival as a way to push back against President Bolsonaro, who is known for his homophobic and sexist remarks. Samba schools will also highlight minority communities in their performances.
Amid the confetti and flashy sequins, many revelers are partying with a message this year — one that's aimed at Bolsonaro, who is known for his controversial remarks about the LGBT community, women and minorities in Brazil.
At Carmelitas, one of the city's most traditional street parties, people dressed in pink and blue sang along to a samba song called "Blue or Pink, It's All the Same."
The song is a reference to comments made by Damres Alves, the new minister for women and human rights, who said: "It's a new era in Brazil, boys wear blue and girls wear pink."
"This parade is an act of resistance to the oppressive new government," said Monica Machado, a percussion player in the band.
Bolsonaro has infamously remarked that he would rather have a dead son than a gay son and once told a congresswoman that she "did not deserve" to be raped because she was "ugly." He's also voiced admiration for Brazil's military dictatorship, which ruled from 1964 to 1985.
Samba's 100-year triumph
God is Brazilian, God is samba! Brazil is celebrating a century of its most well-known musical style, and the world is dancing along. DW takes a closer look at the heartbeat of a nation.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. Simon
Samba is slavery
Slaves brought to Brazil from Angola took their songs and dances with them, which they called "semba" or "sàmba." Their dances celebrated fertility, but in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, where most slaves ended up, the dances developed into an integral part of religious ceremonies. The Brazilian samba originated in Rio de Janeiro, a mixture of African and European musical traditions.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. Simon
Samba by phone
The first samba, "Pelo Telefone" ("By Phone"), was officially registered on November 27, 1916, in Brazil's National Library. The carnival hit was attributed to Brazilian musician Ernesto Joaquim Maria dos Santos, known as Donga. The piano score, seen here, was written by Pixinguinha, the famous Brazilian saxophonist, singer and composer.
Image: Fundação Biblioteca Nacional
Samba is black pride
This 1925 oil painting, by well-known Brazilian artist Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, is entitled "Samba." Di Cavalcanti was seen as the leader of Brazilian Modernism, and his work expressed the self-confidence of black Brazilian art. This piece was destroyed by fire in August 2012.
Image: Emiliano Di Cavalcanti/FairUse
'Samba is a form of prayer'
Brazilian poet and diplomat Vinicius de Moraes (1913-1980) came up with perhaps one of the most beautiful definitions of samba. In "Samba da Benção," which he composed with guitarist Baden Powell, he sang: "A good samba is like a prayer. A good samba needs a bit of suffering, because suffering is always accompanied by a bit of hope."
Image: Gemeinfrei
Samba is melancholy
De Moraes was also behind the 1959 film "Orfeu Negro" ("Black Orpheus"), in which he transposed the ancient Greek drama of Orpheus and Eurydice to Rio's world-famous Carnival. The film, for which director Marcel Camus was awarded the top Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, features music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá, a classic soundscape of samba and bossa nova.
Image: cc-by-3.0/Helmuth Ellgaard
Samba is cliche
Carmen Miranda (1909-1955) was known for her tutti-frutti hat, but it was samba that made her famous. A milliner and the daughter of Portuguese immigrants, she came to prominence with her 1929 hit "Samba não vá sim'bora" ("Samba, Please Don't Go"), before heading to Hollywood a decade later. In film and on TV, she was known as the Brazilian Bombshell.
Image: Getty Images/Keystone
Samba, more than just Carnival
Martinho da Vila, a composer, singer and devoted member of the Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school in Rio de Janeiro, is considered one of the leading figures in the samba world. His 1974 song "Canta Canta, Minha Gente" ("Sing, Sing My People") was an international hit. At the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, he performed along with his daughters at the closing ceremony.
Image: Getty Images/R. Dias
Samba brings people together
Every Monday, musicians meet for a round of samba music at the Pedra do Sal, a historical place in the center of Rio de Janeiro. Anyone can join in, and everyone is welcome. Samba is the common cultural denominator that brings the city's inhabitants together, even if they come from different social backgrounds.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. Simon
Samba is child's play
In this photo, children from Rio's poor district of Cantagalo rehearse at their samba school. The rhythms, lyrics and melodies of the famous samba schools characterize Rio's favela communities. Many children dream of a career in the samba business, making TV shows and traveling abroad.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
Samba is everywhere
From Brazil to the world: the global triumph of samba hasn't left Germany untouched. At the Berlin Carnival of Cultures, celebrated in the spring, Brazilian samba schools, with their supporters from different cultures and countries, are now a regular part of the parade.
Image: AP
10 images1 | 10
Samba schools
Joao Marcos Marinho, a 57-year-old reveler whose costume referenced a corruption scandal that emerged just weeks into Bolsonaro's presidency, said people "aren't satisfied with the government and they're saying it this carnival."
"Carnival is a moment to protest and express your opinion without limits," he said.
Several elite samba schools that will take part in a parade on Sunday and Monday are also taking a stand, adopting themes to highlight women as well as the black and indigenous communities.
One school says it's dedicating its performance and a song to the untold parts of Brazil's history.
"The Bolsonaro vote is linked to education," said Deivid Domenico, who co-authored the song that will be performed. "The people of Brazil don't know its history, its roots, its identity. This is why I think telling that history is important."
King Momo opened Carnival in a shower of confetti at the SambadromeImage: picture-alliance/AP/S. Izquierdo
Rio mayor a no-show
Rio mayor Marcelo Crivella sparked criticism on Friday for skipping the opening festivities.
Crivella, a former evangelical pastor, disapproves of the multi-day party and has cut public funding for samba troupes.
Instead, the head of Rio's tourism board, Marcelo Alves, handed over the key to King Momo, the king of Carnival, to officially start the celebrations.
Authorities expect some 7 million people, including 1.5 million tourists from Brazil and foreign countries, to take part in Rio's massive celebrations this weekend.
Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right president in quotes
Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro was elected to Brazil's highest office on a wave of controversial statements ranging from homophobic to misogynist. DW looks at some of his most eyebrow-raising remarks.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/E. Peres
'Straight to the dictatorship'
Bolsonaro has criticized the very democracy that won him the presidency. In a 1999 TV interview, he said he would shut down Congress if he ever became president. "There is no doubt: I would perform a coup on the same day. And I'm sure that at least 90 percent of the population would celebrate and applaud because [Congress] doesn't work," Bolsonaro said. "Let's go straight to the dictatorship."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/L. Correra
'Rape'
Four years ago, Bolsonaro engaged in a heated debate with Brazilian lawmaker Maria do Rosario. During the debate, he said: "I wouldn't rape you because you don't deserve it." Shortly after, he defended himself, saying he wasn't a rapist. However, he added that if he were a rapist, he wouldn't touch do Rosario because she is "ugly."
Image: Agencia Brasil/M. Camargo
'Moment of weakness'
In a speech at Rio de Janeiro's Hebraica Club in April 2017, Bolsonaro spoke about his family. "I have five children. Four are men, and then in a moment of weakness the fifth came out a girl," he said.
Image: Getty Images/AP/L. Correa
'Prefer my son to die'
LGBT activists have long railed against Bolsonaro for his homophobic stance. But in a 2011 Playboy magazine interview, Bolsonaro made things personal, saying he "would be incapable of loving a homosexual son … I would prefer my son to die in an accident than show up with a mustachioed man." In May 2002, he said that if he saw "two men kissing each other on the street" he would "beat them up."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Schincariol
'No means to control their offspring'
Bolsonaro has often belittled impoverished communities. But in 2008, he took things a step further by suggesting poor people should be prevented from bearing children. Birth control "methods have to be provided for those who, unfortunately, are ignorant and have no means to control their offspring because we [as the upper middle class] are able to control ours."
