In the cultural lexicon of Brazil, the word carnaval conjures more than a party; it is a state of being. It is the rhythmic explosion of samba, the glittering pageantry of the escolas de samba (samba schools), the irreverent satire of the blocos de rua (street blocks), and the deep, cathartic release of a nation’s collective energy before the somber austerity of Lent. The Brazilian Carnival of 2020, however, occupies a unique and tragic space in history. It was not a failed carnival, nor a cancelled one. In fact, by all logistical and artistic metrics, the Carnaval of 2020 was a magnificent, record-breaking success. Yet, it would come to be remembered as the "Carnival of the Contagion"—the last great inhalation of a world about to hold its breath.
Here is the definitive retrospective of Carnaval 2020 through the lens of the Brasileirinha culture. carnaval brasileirinhas 2020