Carnival is a European traditional party, landed in Brazil with the Portuguese ships. Its origins are very old, dating back to the Ancient Greeks, who used to celebrate spring in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine. But carnival has been deeply transformed by the contact with Brazil and its African and Indios roots. Brazilian carnival needed centuries to develop as we know it today. At the beginning carnival in Brazil was a party for rich people (included the Emperor) with European music (Polkas, Waltzes and Mazurkas)… can you imagine?

Than samba happened and carnival became Brazilian: a black-hearted party where the poor express their voice and outstanding creativity, being able to forget the weight of life for a while.

Samba happened at the end of the XIX century in a poor area of Rio de Janeiro called “Little Africa“, the cradle of samba. Pequena Africa was inhabited by black people as Hilaria Batista de Almeida, nicknamed Tia Ciata. She was a tia baiana, an “aunt from Bahia”: a women dressed in traditional white costume coming from the north -and carrying with her the black tradition of Candomble. Samba was born in her house, among drums and handclaps.

After that many things happened -the Schools of Samba, the rules, the sponsors, the commercialization of Rio carnival. Nevertheless this huge party, the biggest show on earth, holds the power to turn the world upside down.