Carnival

Too early for Carnival? Afraid so. Too early to dream (and possibly plan)? Of course not!

My last mention of the party of all parties revolved around the city of Recife but I´d bet that few have heard of the Italianesque Carnival of inland Pernambuco. A little more than 60 miles from Recife lies the city of Bezerros, often called the Land of Papangus. A Pap-what, you ask? A Papangu! Its a person that disguises themself with a Venetian-like mask and a long tunic, among other things, during Carnival-time across Pernambuco, especially in the city of Bezerros where such traditions are strongest. READ MORE>

 For all you Carnival fans unfortunate enough not to be in Brazil right now (like me), YouTube is streaming Carnival live. It also features a live Twitter/Facebook stream below. To shout out your Carnival excitement, just make a status update on one of those services with the word #ytcarnaval - Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/carnaval?feature=ticker READ MORE>

The largest Carnival bloco in the world is said to be in Recife and you can find it on Saturday during the week of Carnival in the central neighborhood of São José. It goes by the name of the Galo da Madrugada (The Early Morning Rooster) and it's pretty hard to miss, just find the giant shiny rooster towering above thousands of people. If you're more of an observer, perhaps you can find a seafaring local to let you board their boat to watch from the sidelines on the Capibaribe River. However, it's wise to be aware of what you'll be missing out on. READ MORE>

It is Carnival and to celebrate it with our readers I visited Neguinha Sambista, a professional Samba instructor from Aquarela Samba Troup, in Berkely, CA. We interviewed her about the history and styles of the dance, and she told us about her classes. We also filmed parts of the lesson for you! Aquarela teaches Samba and provides Samba shows around the SF Bay Area. We filmed Neguinha Sambista at the Dance Mission Theatre in San Francisco. READ MORE>