RIO DE JANERIO: Rio de Janeiro's carnival, a glittering, sequin-studded festival of the flesh, exploded back to life Friday with the first famed samba school parades since COVID-19 hit Brazil.
Performers from the Sao Clemente samba school parade during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Saturday, April 23, 2022. A performer from the Sao Clemente samba school parades during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Saturday, April 23, 2022.
"I couldn't sleep last night, I was so excited," said Rita Marcelino, a 62-year-old domestic worker who was dancing up a storm as she waited to parade - a moment of catharsis after losing her job and"many" friends and family members to the pandemic.