AND THE WINNER OF THE CARNIVAL IN SAO PAULO IS...

Hundreds of thousands of visitors head for the Carnival in Sao Paulo every year, not just to party but also to experience true Afro-Brazilian culture.  Since 1991, the Anhembi Sambadrome is the focus of Carnival celebrations in Sao Paulo. The parade features the top samba schools from the city including Mocidade Alegre, Gavioes da Fiel, Vai-Vai, Camisa Verde e Branco, Unidos do Peruche, and others. The competition includes two afoxé groups with strong Afro-Brazilian roots. Local residents are actively involved in the creation of costumes and floats for the samba schools and other street parades held throughout the city. 

Unlike Rio, the main days of the Carnival in Sao Paulo are Friday and Saturday with the top samba schools competing for the prestigious championship trophy - this year the champion being Mocidade Alegre. Over 30,000 spectators at the Sambadrome are transported into frenzy as the sights and sounds of the samba schools begin to work through their bodies. 

Following is a video of a rehearsal of the 2013 samba theme for the Mocidade Alegre which helped it win the championship, and a free translation:

Amor, vem viajar na fantasia
E encontrar o poder da sedução
Se entregar à tentação
O fruto proibido provar e sentir o prazer
Sem culpa, sem medo, pecar
Beleza, riqueza no olhar.
Emana a luz da razão
O caminho da redenção
E assim, o reino dos céus alcançar

Quando o vento soprar, eu vou voar
E te encontrar nessa imensidão
Brincar de deus, ser feliz, sonhar
Não há limites para a imaginação

Em versos a mais linda história
Romances e contos nos fazem sonhar
E se o vilão é o herói afinal?
E se o sonho se torna real?
Você é quem diz...
Para sempre, quem será feliz.
Desperta toda magia do artista,
O futuro do sambista
Um amanhã de amor e paz!
Morada, é a paixão que nos conduz
Com força e união, com garra e emoção
Num mundo sem ponto final

Vou seduzir seu coração
Com muito orgulho, sou Mocidade
Nosso final feliz, depende de você
Fazer o sonho acontecer

Love, let´s travel  in fantasy

And find the power of seduction

Surrender to temptation,

Taste the forbidden fruit and feel the pleasure

No guilt, no fear, just  sin

Stunning, dazzling.

Emanating from the light of reason

The road to redemption

And thus reach the kingdom of heaven.

When the wind blows, I'll fly

And find you  in the sea

Playing god, being happy, dreaming

There´s no limit to imagination.

In verses the most  beautiful story

Novels and short stories make us dream

And if the villain is eventually the hero?

And if the dream comes true?

You are the one who states...

who will be forever happy.

Awaken  all the artist´s magic,

The future of a samba dancer

A tomorrow of love and peace!

Our samba school is the passion that drives us

With strength and unity, with guts and emotion

In an endless world.

I will seduce your heart

With great pride, I am Mocidade

Our happy ending depends on you

Making the dream come true

SOURCES: Official site; CARNIVAL BOOKERS

RIO DE JANEIRO IS NOT ONLY ABOUT BEACHES

The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens, one of the greatest tropical botanical gardens in the world, houses some of the rarest species of plants from the flora of Brazil and other countries, and many species of tropical birds, fish and mammals.

The garden is located at the foot of Corcovado Mountain and occupies about 142 hectares. It is part of the Tijuca National Park (Floresta da Tijuca), home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife endemic of the Atlantic Rainforest.

The beautiful cast-iron fountain was made in England. It was installed at the Rio de Janeiro garden in 1905. The 4 muse figures represent music, art, poetry and science.

The garden was founded on 1808 by Dom João, at the time Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Brazil and Portugal, later known (1816-1822) as John VI, King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.

Dom João had arrived in Brazil after leaving Portugal on November of 1807 when the Napoleonic forces invaded his country. Before he could be deposed by the invading French army and to avoid becoming a prisoner of Napoleon, the Prince Regent ordered the transfer of the Portuguese royal court to Brazil. The Royal family left Lisbon under the protection of the British Royal Navy to establish a government in exile based at Rio de Janeiro.

At the beginning the grounds were Dom João’s private gardens where he intended to acclimatize spices such as cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg that were brought from the East Indies. Initially known as the Royal Orchard, when Dom Joao returned to Portugal in 1822 the garden was open to the public and renamed as the Royal Botanical Garden. In 1890, at the time Brazil became a Republic, the “Royal” part of the garden’s name was dropped.

Currently the Botanic Garden comprises about 83 hectares of tropical forest and 54 hectares of cultivated gardens including paths, lagoons, fountains, sculptures, conservatories and several historic buildings. The gardens contain about 6500 species of plants including indigenous resources of the Brazilian Atlantic floristic region and exotic vegetation introduced from other tropical regions. Many of the species are in open gardens; however, a large number of plants are housed in greenhouses especially dedicated to plant groups such as bromeliads, orchids, cacti and succulent and carnivorous plants.



Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/304163#ixzz2JsEXRqdV

OFFICIAL SITE

WE ARE MOURNING OUR YOUNGSTERS

Panicked crowds pushed toward the exits as fire swept through a packed nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday.

Hundreds didn't escape in time from the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria.

The blaze killed at least 232 people, many of whom apparently died from smoke inhalation, state-run Agencia Brasil reported, citing fire officials. Others were trampled in the rush for the exits, one security guard told CNN affiliate Band News. More than 130 people were hospitalized, Agencia Brasil said.

Map: Brazil nightclub fire

Deadly blazes: Nightclub tragedies in recent history

About 2,000 people were inside the club when the fire broke out -- double the maximum capacity of 1,000, said Guido de Melo, a state fire official.

Investigators have received preliminary information that security guards stopped people from exiting the club, he told Globo TV.

"This overcrowding made it difficult for people to leave, and according to the information we have, the security guards kept people from leaving the building," he said.

The fire started "from out of nowhere" on a stage at the club and quickly spread to the ceiling, witness Jairo Vieira told Band News.

"People started running," survivor Luana Santos Silva told Globo TV. "I fell on the floor."

Smoke billowed outside the front of the building as the stench of fire filled the air, said Max Muller, who was riding by on his motorbike when he saw the blaze.

Muller recorded video of a chaotic scene outside the club, which showed emergency crews tending to victims and dazed clubgoers standing in the street. Bodies lay on the ground beside ambulances.

Friends who were inside the club told him that many struggled to find the exits in the dark. Muller, who was not inside the club Sunday morning but has been there twice before, said there were no exit signs over the doors. It is rare to see such signs in Brazilian clubs.

Valderci Oliveira, a state lawmaker, told Band News that he saw piles of bodies in the club's bathroom when he arrived at the scene hours after the blaze. It looked "like a war zone," he said.

Police told Band News that 90% of the victims were found in that part of the club.

Video from the scene showed firefighters shooting streams of water at the club and shirtless men trying to break down a wall with axes.

Hours later, families and friends searching for information were outside a nearby sporting complex, where bodies were taken for identification, the state-run Agencia Brasil reported.

Deadly fire sweeps through Brazil club

Deadly nightclub fire in Brazil

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff became teary-eyed as she spoke of the tragedy to reporters in Chile, where she has been attending a regional summit.

"The Brazilian people are the ones who need me today," she said. "I want to tell the people of Santa Maria in this time of sadness that we are all together."

Rousseff arrived in Santa Maria later Sunday, Brazilian media reported.

Police were interviewing witnesses as part of an investigation into what caused the blaze, state-run Agencia Brasil reported.

The fire started at about 2 a.m. after the acoustic insulation in the Kiss nightclub caught fire, said Col. Adilomar Silva, the regional coordinator of civil defense.

There was a pyrotechnics show going on inside the club when the fire started. Authorities stopped short of blaming it for the blaze, saying the cause was still under investigation.

"There just weren't enough emergency exits," Mateus Vargas, a witness who was inside the club when the fire broke out, told Band News.

The incident called to mind a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island where pyrotechnics used by the heavy metal band Great White ignited a blaze that killed more than 90 people.

Pyrotechnics were also involved in a 2004 nightclub fire in Argentina that killed 194 people and a 2009 explosion at a nightclub in Russia that left more than 100 dead.

The Kiss nightclub is popular with young people in Santa Maria, drawing between 2,000 and 3,000 people a night on the weekends.

The blaze broke out during a weekend when students were celebrating the end of summer. Students at many Brazilian universities return to school on Monday.

Santa Maria is home to the Federal University of Santa Maria as well as a number of other private universities and colleges.

Shasta Darlington reported from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Marilia Brocchetto and Helena DeMoura reported from Atlanta. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

SECOND EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL GRAFFITI FINE ART BIENNIAL IN SAO PAULO

The event runs from Jan. 22 - Feb. 24  in the Brazilian Museum of  Sculpture in Sao Paulo, Brazil and features work of more than 50 street artists, representing 11 countries

A cat-shaped wooden sculpture designed by Brazilian street artist Minhau greets visitors just outside the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, MuBE

A visitor walks past a graffiti mural created by French street artist Noetwo

Brazilian street artist Frank spray paints a design during a demonstration

SEE ALSO: MUSEUM OF SCULPTURE, SAO PAULO

AH! THE THRILL OF WHITE WATER RAFTING!

Brazil is the place for incredible rafting adventures, thanks to its rich treasure of rivers, which can be perfectly rafted upon. The Jacaru River in the northern state of Para  is certainly a top pick in this category. Crafted primarily for mild excursions, the river sports serene waters in the upper stretches of its journey. With rapids of Class II, this section of the water body is ideal for novices, children and family trips. 

However, as you proceed, the Jacaru River unveils its wealth of waves and brings the most thrilling rapids. Especially in the lower section, the waterway offers rapids of Class IV, which can be tamed only by the amazing expertise of a professional or experienced rafter.

In the heart of the state of  Tocantins, the Rio Novo offers up the possibility of multi-day rafting adventures in beautiful scenery, camping on the river banks as you travel. Elsewhere the Juquitiba River near Sao Paulo has exciting rapids through lovely scenery and dense canyons. 







The Jacare Pepira River near Brotas in Sao Paulo State is a rollercoaster of waves and also offers the chance of good tubing. 

SOURCES: Splash White Water Rafting

Bespoke Brazil

JacksonKayak

Passion Brazil

SHOES MADE OF FISH LEATHER?

Sprawling over  85,000 sqm of exhibition area in Anhembi, Sao Paulo, The COUROMODA - International Fair of Shoes, Leather Goods and Fashion Accessories - will be showcasing the Brazilian leather industry, its fashion and design from Jan 14-17.

During four days the exhibition will be featuring novelties from more than 3000 brands of shoes, sneakers, bags, apparel, sporting goods, leather goods, fashion accessories, stores equipment, footwear components and technology.

The exhibitors account for 13 Brazilian states (90% of the industry´s national production).

About 35% of annual sales in the industry are initiated or forwarded at COUROMODA. This is a result of the wide variety of products that the fair presents with diverse collections ranging from the autumn / winter to midseason collections, meeting all and every need of retailers throughout  the country and those of  many other different types of markets, and international buyers from 64 other countries as well.

SOURCE: COUROMODA Official Site in English

THE AMAZONIAN CARIBE AND ITS PRYSTINE FRESHWATER BEACHES

Alter do Chao is the first among the ten places with the most beautiful beaches in Brazil, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. The paper also points out the place as the world's most beautiful beaches with fresh water. 

Perfect for relaxing, nature has been very generous to the fishing village, which belongs to the city of Santarém. The setting is idyllic, and holds a unique beauty since its beaches are on the banks of the Tapajós River.

Alter do Chao is the ideal place to enjoy the 'Amazonian summer' which happens between the months of August to December. The month of September is the best time to visit the location, for it is when the water flow decreases and forms sandbars and beaches, which are more visible due to the receding of the Tapajós River. The temperature in September is also milder.

Among the shows provided by nature in Alter do Chao is the meeting of the waters of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers. The crystalline waters of the Tapajós meet the muddy waters of the Amazon but do not mix, providing unforgettable moments. The Tapajós River is the only one  among the tributaries of the Amazon river with crystalline waters.

Upon arrival at the village, tourists can hike and visit areas where botos dwell, a species of freshwater dolphin. Alter has good tourist infrastructure with good inns and hotels, health centers, restaurants, beaches with typical food stalls and tourism agencies. The local artistic production can also be found at craft stores, and at Alter do Chao Center one can find  true Indigenous Culture and Art.

The canoe trip at Green Lake, also known as the 'Enchanted Forest' is a must see when visiting Alter do Chao. The igapós, or blackwater-flooded Amazonian forests  are seasonally inundated with freshwater. The Green Lake changes colors during the day, from blue to green. The tour can be conducted between the months of February and July.

More info at: ALTER DO CHAO