Carnival kicks off with samba beat

RIO DE JANEIRO — Under a shower of confetti and pulsing samba rhythms, Brazil’s legendary King Momo received the keys to Rio on Friday, kicking off Carnival celebrations including glittering parades and sizzling dancing.

The next five days will see many in this racially diverse country of 191 million people dive headlong into the pre-lent bacchanalian festival that is its most popular holiday — and one of the world’s biggest street parties.

As in previous years, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil’s third largest city and the heart of the rich AfroBrazilian culture, led the way, with hundreds of thousands of revellers pouring into the streets late Thursday to dance and celebrate.

The theme for this year’s festival in Salvador is “The Carnival Country” the title of a 1931 novel by Jorge Amado, in homage to the late Bahian author as the city marks the 100th anniversary of his birth.

But the global spotlight was on Rio on Friday as the “Marvelous City” began its Carnival extravaganza, world-famous for its sumptuous parades of elaborately decorated fantasy floats and near-naked dancers. Milton Junior, the man portraying King Momo, Carnival’s chubby symbol of excess, stepped out of a stretch limousine to receive a giant gold key from Rio’s mayor and, with scantily clad princesses at his side, broke into a frenetic samba to launch “the greatest show on earth.”

Carnival in Rio generates 250,000 jobs and revenues of $640 million for hotels, bars and restaurants, according to state estimates.

City officials expect more than five million people to attend.