Unit7-Part2-Reading

Rio Carnaval, the world's largest party.

The Carnaval is an important event in Brazil.

It takes place in February each year.

It is also a holiday, so schools and offices are closed on the Carnaval days.

The most colorful Carnaval celebrations take place in Rio de Janeiro.

People from all over the world go to Rio to attend them.

They check in at the hotels of the city days before the Carnaval.

The streets of Rio are filled with two million people on each Carnaval day.

About 500 ,000 of these people are foreign visitors.

The Carnaval is only four days long, but the preparations go on for months before the Carnaval.

During the Carnaval, people wear colorful costumes

and there is a lot of dancing and singing in the streets.

The city is filled with samba, street parties and balls.

The highlight of the Rio Carnaval is the samba school parade.

More than 3 ,000 performers in colorful costumes dance

while they are walking down the streets.

They walk alongside the beautiful floats.

The parade ends in the samba drum, the stadium of samba.

The samba schools of the city compete by performing in the stadium.

The best group wins a big prize.

Carnaval celebrations originated in the early 1700s.

In those years, people went out to the streets and soaked each other with buckets of water for fun.

They also threw mud and tomatoes or eggs at each other.

This often ended up in street fights.

After 1840, aristocrats organized parades.

They walked in masks and expensive costumes.

They danced to the tango and the waltz in balls.

At the end of the 19th century, the Carnaval became a festival for the working people.

They walked in the parades together with musicians.