Belavista Carnival Brazil will once again help foreign readers to get acquainted with the 2009 Carnival of Brazil. Belavista Blog will post the Rio 2009 “enredos” for the major samba schools part of the “Special Group”. “Enredos”, which could be freely translated into “parade themes or plot”, are in essence the theme of a Brazilian carnival parade. These are usually lofty, poetic descriptions of a subject that interest Brazilian such a politics, the environment, a famous person, etc. For every year, every samba school chooses a theme on which its parades are based upon. It could be an important event, a famous person, a significant era in history, critics to the society and so forth.

The carnival parade themes for Rio´s Carnival seen below were outlined by the order in which they will parade on Rio´s 2009 Sambadrome. We also included the Samba School´s Carnavalesco, who are the artistic director / designer which signs the carnival parade. (This person usually designs the concept of the costumes, floats, and sequence of groups in the carnival parade.) Finally we included the logo / image of the Carnival parade themes. Now a days, most of the samba schools also design themes logo into their sites that visually summarizes the concept of the parade. Good research and have fun!

Sunday, Feb 22nd Carnival Parade Rio de Janeiro – Samba Schools


1) Império Serrano Samba School

Império Serrano Carnival Theme: “A Lendas das Sereias e os Mistérios do Mar”( re-edited from the 1976 parade theme )

Império Serrano Carnival Parade Theme Translated: “The Legend of the Mermaids and the Mysteries of the Sea”

Império Serrano Carnival Producer: Márcia Lávia

See below Logo for The Legend of the Mermaids and the Mysteries of the Sea” Theme:




2) Acadêmicos do Grande Rio Samba School


2009 Grande Rio Carnival Theme : “Voilá, Caxias! Para Sempre Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Merci Beaucoup, Brésil! Não Tem de Quê!”

Grande Rio Carnival Parade Theme Translated: “Voilá Caxias! Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Merci Beaucoup, Brésil!"

2009 Grande Rio Carnival Producer Renato Lage

See below "Voilá, Caxias! Para Sempre Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Merci Beaucoup, Brésil! Não Tem de Quê" Theme Logo Image:




3) Unidos de Vila Isabel Samba School

Unidos da Vila Carnival Theme: “Neste Palco da Folia, Minha Vila Anuncia: Theatro Municipal, o Centenário Maravilha”

Unidos da Vila Carnival Parade Theme translated: “In the Joyful Stage, My Vila Announces Municipal Theatre, and the Wonderful Centennial”.



4) Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba-School

2009 Mocidade Carnival Theme: “Mocidade Apresenta: Clube Literário - Machado de Assis e Guimarães Rosa... Estrelas em Poesia!”

Mocidade Carnival Parade Theme Translated: “Mocidade Presents: Literature Club – Machado de Assis and Guimarães Rosa...Stars in Poetry!”

Mocidade Independente Carnival Producer: Cláudio Cavalcante (Cebola)

See below Mocidade Theme´s Logo - Image:




5) Beija-Flor de Nilópolis Samba-School

Beija-Flor 2009 Parade Theme: “No Chuveiro da Alegria, Quem Banha o Corpo, Lava a Alma na Folia”

Beija-Flor Parade Theme Translated: “At the Happiness Shower, those who bathes the Body, Washes the Soul at the Folia”

Beija-Flor Carnival Producer: Carnival Commission

See below Beija Flor Carnival Theme Logo




6) Unidos da Tijuca Samba-School

Unidos da Tijuca Carnival Theme: “Tijuca 2009: Uma Odisséia Sobre o Espaço”

Unidos da Tijuca Carnival Parade Theme Translated: “Tijuca 2009: One Space Odyssey”

Unidos da Tijuca 2009 Carnival Producer: Luiz Carlos Bruno

See below Unidos da Tijuca Carnival Theme Logo:




Also, all of the Rio 2009 Samba Schools links and websites were provided above.


Below, we reproduced a small summary of the Brazilian Carnival:

The Brazilian Carnival (Portuguese: Carnaval) is an annual celebration in Brazil held 40 days before Easter and marking the start of Lent. During Lent, Roman Catholics, which constitute the majority in Brazil, are to abstain from bodily pleasures.

Brazilian Carnival as a whole exhibits some differences with its counterparts in Europe and other parts of the world, and within Brazil it has distinct regional manifestations.

Rio de Janeiro Carnival:

The Brazilian citizens used to riot the Carnival until it was accepted by the government as an expression of culture. The modern Brazilian Carnival finds its roots in Rio de Janeiro in the 1830s, when the city’s bourgeoisie imported the practice of holding balls and masquerade parties from Paris. It originally mimicked the European form of the festival, over time acquiring elements derived from African and Amerindian cultures.

In the late 19th century, the cordões (literally laces in Portuguese) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were groups of people who would parade through the streets playing music and dancing. Today they are known as blocos (blocks), consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes according to certain themes or to celebrate the Carnival in specific ways. Blocos are generally associated with particular neighbourhoods or suburbs and include both a percussion or music group and an entourage of revellers.

During the Carnival, a fat man is elected to represent the role of Rei Momo, the "king" of Carnival.

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is known worldwide for the elaborate parades staged by the city’s major samba schools in the Sambadrome and is one of the world’s major tourist attractions.



Samba schools are very large, well-financed organizations that labor year round in preparation for Carnival. Parading in the Sambadrome runs over four entire nights and is part of an official competition, divided into seven divisions, in which a single samba school will be declared that year’s winner. Blocos deriving from the samba schools also hold street parties in their respective suburbs, through which they parade along with their followers.