The samba schools of Rio de Janeiro held a mini parade on Saturday night, in an unprecedented preview of what they will exhibit at the 2022 Carnival at the Sambadrome, postponed to April by the ómicron.
With their colorful dresses and cheerful rhythms, schools such as Imperatriz Leopoldinense or Vila Isabel paraded in a kind of ‘preview’ in the City of Samba, a collective space in the port area with huge sheds where each school prepares behind closed doors throughout the year its sumptuous staging.
A way, for a few thousand lucky people who were able to afford admission, to kill the ‘saudade’ of the official Carnival celebrations, which cannot be held since 2020 due to the pandemic.
This year, due to the vertiginous progress of the omicron, the traditional parades in the iconic Sambadrome were postponed to April 21 and the famous street ‘blocos’ were suspended.
“After two years without Carnival, today we can express our joy”, declared exultant to AFP Nilton Marcosa 62-year-old teacher, one of the hundreds of lucky attendees who were able to dance to the sound of sambas as I’m going to celebrate or Coisinha do pai.
“A lot of emotion, a lot of happiness. It is gratifying to be able to be here again and celebrate with everyone”expressed Manuela Benini, another assistant.
Carnival usually brings together millions of people in the streets of the ‘city of wonders’.
Although it prohibited official parties, the Carioca mayor’s office did authorize private parties and concerts -provided that the health regulations for covid-19 are met- during the week of Carnival, which since Friday bring together thousands of people.
According to the local press, a similar situation occurs in cities such as Salvador, Sao Paulo or Belo Horizonte, where those nostalgic for Carnival massively attend private parties.
Brazil is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus, with almost 650,000 deaths, a figure only surpassed by the United States. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
