THE SPIRIT OF CARNIVAL: BRAZIL AND BOLIVIA EDITION

Is it the time of the year where many countries celebrate the festivity known as Carnival. Latin American nations celebrate this event in a variety of different ways. This article will briefly highlight the celebrations in two countries: Brazil and Bolivia

Brazil

Brazil is one of the most known Latin american countries for their luxurious celebration. World-wide the festivity in Brazil is known for the beautiful women who walk along the parade, often times decorated in extremely extravagant clothing. People from all over the world go to participate in this mesmerizing event.

Rio de Janeiro - Desfile da escola de samba do grupo especial Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, no Sambódromo (Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil)

Various students from our Lincoln community were asked “how would you characterize the Brazilian carnival?” To which most made reference to the partying culture developed in the festivity and the bright use of colors/colorful and rhythmic or upbeat performances. .

Bolivia

Like in Brazil, the Bolivian carnival is characterized by having an cheery parade full of people of all ages performing. Dances in this parade are often more traditional and portray the indigenous roots of the country. In the cities such as La Paz, the streets become a colorful battlefield. People everywhere walk the streets with water guns filled with printer ink, and as you walk along the streets you get into an ink battle with strangers. Other common, weapons of battle, include flour, spray foam, and eggs.

The picture above shows a group of Lincoln students at the Bolivian Carnival in 2014. All of them loaded with their water guns, and as it can be seen, all the students are covered in paint!