I Am Brazilian and I Can’t Stand Carnival

The pictures you see in international media are only 1% of the story.

Yes, carnival is beautiful. Yes, the samba schools rehearse for months to make their parades down the Sambadrome. Yes, it is one of the oldest Brazilian traditions. So, why so many Brazilians, including yours truly, loathe this party?

But… what on earth is Carnival anyway?

To the uninitiated, Carnival in Brazil is a celebration that lasts roughly five days. It marks the last days before the beginning of lent, starting on the Friday that precedes Ash Wednesday in the Catholic tradition.

The initial idea was basically to get all of your sins and passions of the flesh out, before the beginning of lent. And with that, you can start to see why it might be difficult to live in country that celebrates it so intensely.

My objections as a Christian to a party like that are so painfully obvious that I won’t even bother to go into them here. Instead, I will tell you about the practical reality of living in the country of Carnival.

If you google Brazilian Carnival, you will most likely find many mentions of the celebrations in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In these cities, you will find the traditional parade of samba schools. These are essentially samba clubs, that compete to see which one can present the best parade.

The clubs receive grades in 9 different criteria from 36 judges. At the end, one winner is declared. For the other schools, it’s important not to find yourself at the bottom, because they are relegated to a lesser tear of carnival. If this sounds awfully similar to the soccer system, it’s because it is.

And right here, in the Sambadrome, we find the first signs of the ugly truth of Carnival. I bet you have already seen the beautiful videos of the parades, but have you ever wondered who pays for those?

Where does the money come from?

Samba schools' economics is such a hot topic that I have to be careful with my words. So instead of trying to explain it, I will tell you about something that happened in 2015.

That year, Beija-Flor school won Rio’s carnival, after allegedly receiving an undisclosed amount of funds from Equatorial Guinea’s dictator, and famous human rights violator, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

There are also countless allegations of money laundering through the samba schools. Including everything from money originated in illegal lotteries to organized crime.

Life Under Carnival

However, Carnival is not limited to what happens at the Sambadrome, regardless of who is paying for it. If it was, it would be a lot simpler, if you don’t like it, don’t come. And we could all live in harmony.

But along with the parades, Carnival is celebrated in the streets throughout the country, in all kinds of different parties. And although some are harmless, many aren’t.

The mixture of alcohol and a general sense of debauchery leads people to extremes much faster in Carnival parties then in any other kind of celebration. Things like a shooting that left 2 dead and 20 hurt in Rio have become commonplace in this holiday. In 2020, the state of Paraná registered an average of one drunk driver per hour during carnival week. In Rio, that number went up to one DUI every 8 minutes in 2023.

Finally, for those unlucky enough to live in an important avenue or street anywhere in the country, there is the risk of a street party coming your way, and leaving a trail of garbage, destruction and even human waste.

Brazilian philosopher Luis Felipe Pondé summarized perfectly the general feeling of many of his fellow countryman:

Carnival is beautiful on TV. But the reality of having it in your country is much more complicated. For these reasons, and many others, the number of Brazilians who — like me — can’t stand Carnival, grows a little bit every year.