Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. The city was the capital of Brazil (1763-1960) and of the Portuguese Empire (1808-1821). Commonly known as just Rio (particularly in English and by its inhabitants), the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa - “The Marvelous City”.
It is famous for its spectacular natural setting, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon and pavements decorated with black and cream swirl pattern mosaics. Some of the most famous local landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer (’Cristo Redentor’) at top Corcovado mountain; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival; and Maracanã stadium, one of the world’s largest. Rio also boasts the world’s largest forest inside an urban area, called Floresta da Tijuca, or ‘Tijuca Forest’.
It is Brazil’s second-largest city after São Paulo and was the country’s capital until 1960, when Brasília took its place. Residents of the city are known as Cariocas. The official song of Rio is “Cidade Maravilhosa.”
Cultural Events in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is among the biggest cities in South America, but the city is more widely renowned for the various cultural celebrations that are held there every year. The most popular of these is the Carnival, held two weeks before the traditional Christian fasting of Lent.
Not only people from all over Brazil, but from all parts of the world come to Rio to take part and witness the extravaganza. The Carnival comes with a lot of people, good food, color and of course the Samba dance. The celebration of Carnival ends on “Mardi Gras” Tuesday.
Apart from the Carnival, New Year is also a big deal in Rio and is also one of the other major festivals. It’s celebrated with several concerts and firework displays all around Rio, the largest one being in Copacabana beach. People wear white clothes, and some of them make offerings to a Candomblé deity called Iemanjá.
Rio also has one of the world’s most talked-about nightlife. Rio has a lot of night clubs where the rich enjoy themselves and party the night away. Clubs like Baronneti, Nuth and Catwalk are some of the country’s best known and frequented by celebrities such as Ronaldo, Calvin Klein, Mick Jagger and Naomi Campbell.