Can Haiti Carnival be compared Carnival in Rio?

The first carnival in Rio de Janeiro dates back as far as 1723, much earlier than Haiti, where it started in the year of its declaration of independence in 1804. In 2011, 4.9 million people took part in the festivities in Rio; 400,000 of those were foreigners. The Rio carnival is often cited as the "world's largest party". The Portuguese immigrants from the islands of Madeira, Açores and Cabo Verde introduced "Entrudo" (Portuguese word for Carnival) in Rio. The idea of celebration was very simple; people went out onto the streets soaking each other with buckets of water and threw mud and food, which often ended up in street brawls and riots. However, the concept gradually kept changing throughout the 1800's with more organized parades, emperors and aristocrats became a part of the celebration with masks and luxurious costumes and music.

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held between the Friday afternoon (51 days before Easter) and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. The one of the main attractions of Rio carnival is the Samba Parade, a fierce competition among Rio's samba schools, of which there are nearly 200. The competition is held in the purpose-built Sambodromo (birthplace of samba), the schools are judged on their elaborate floats, costumes, dancing and music. Some of the schools spend over £3 million on outfits and preparations!

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