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UNDER A SHOWER of confetti, portly King Momo has officially kicked off Rio’s famed Carnival, a five-day extravaganza that will climax in spectacular weekend parades of top samba schools.
Milton Rodrigues da Silva, the event’s symbol of overweight excess, symbolically received a giant key to the city from Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes.
“The time has come to hand over my duties to magnificent King Momo so that the city may have fun under his rule,” said Paes, wearing a white panama hat and a collar of blue flowers. “Let there be peace and joy.”
“I declare the Rio Carnival open!” responded King Momo, who in real life is a 33-year-old bank teller.
He then hoisted the city key and wowed the crowd with a gracefully executed samba dance in spite of his 150 kilograms (330 pounds, 23.6 stone).
Flanked by his queen and two princesses, King Momo, resplendent in white suit and shoes, earlier glided into the gardens of City Hall for the welcome ceremony in Rio’s Botafogo district.
“Long live the monarchy! Long live the king!,” shouted members of his retinue, including a few elderly sambistas wearing their trademark lacquered shoes.
Last November, King Momo was crowned king for the fifth year in a row, pocketing $10,000.
His majesty, who says that he plans to keep his crown through 2016, has a punishing schedule.
He must hold court at private events, street parties, and most importantly at the sumptuous parades he will open at the Sambodrome — the Samba parade ground designed by the late Oscar Niemeyer — Sunday and Monday night.
The parades will feature Rio’s top 12 samba schools competing on floats packed with dancers wearing huge headgear, feathers, sequins, body paint and little else.
Carnival is Brazil’s most important festival and elaborate celebrations are staged across the country, including in cities like Sao Paulo, Salvador, Recife, Olinda, Manaus and Porto Alegre.
As is customary, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil’s third largest city and the heart of the rich Afro-Brazilian culture, led the way Thursday night, with hundreds of thousands of revelers pouring into the streets to dance and party.
On his arrival in the Bahia state capital, South Korea’s ‘Gangnam Style’ rapper Psy posted a picture of himself on Twitter with the message “Hello Salvador.”
He was due to perform later Friday with top Brazilian singers Claudia Leitte and Gilberto Gil at the start of the Salvador Carnival, which attracts two million annually and is often described as “the biggest street party in the world.”
The Brazilian Carnival this year is paying a special tribute to Koreans to mark the 50th anniversary of their immigration to the country.
Samba schools in Rio and Sao Paulo will honour the contribution of the 50,000-strong Korean community has made to this vibrant and racially diverse country of 194 million people.
More than 900,000 people are expected to attend the Rio fest, up 5.8 percent over last year, and spend $665 million in hotels, restaurants and bars, according to Rio state officials, who say Carnival generates 250,000 jobs.
Some 12 elite samba schools are competing for the title of Rio Carnival champion in a dazzling contest watched with the same fervor as football matches in this soccer-mad nation.
One school will pay tribute to BossaNova composer Vinicius de Moraes, co-author of the classic hit “The Girl from Ipanema.”
For many Brazilians, the celebrations will be a chance to forget the late January nightclub fire in the southern college town of Santa Maria that left 239 young people dead.
Authorities have stepped up safety inspections at entertainment spots nationwide.
In Rio, which will host next year’s World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, police have also tightened security around administrative buildings in the city center.
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The authorities really need to rein this practice in
If 6500 horses were slaughtered for their meat with Dept of Agriculture approval, where is the market for this meat and is it sold as stated ie horse meat for human consumption so the purchaser is aware of exactly what it is they are buying ,my concern naturally is that it is being sold as beef.Additionally what health record is kept of these animals prior to slaughter, I assume the same standards relating to beef apply and the same age profile of animals ie 36 months at slaughter is also the rule and that these animals are veterinary assessed through their lives.
@Honeybee: horse meat is popular on the continent, that’s where it usually goes from factories here. Horses are to have a record of all medications on their passports, are are listed as either on or off the human consumption lists, depending on the medications and owners preferences. They do not require testing for tb, which is the biggest testing for cattle. No age profile, as this was brought in for cattle due to the instances of bse in older stock.
@Honeybee: fact is that veterinary standards for horses going to the factory is more stringent than that of cattle
@Liam Carlin: are more stringent
Giddy up
Would want to be a very fast horse nowadays not to get eaten.
What’s a microship?
@Doz: A boat
@Peter: A very small ship
@Doz: It’s a small ferry-shaped object used subcutaneously to identify an animal; not to be confused with a microchip, a large silicon wafer used to transport people and goods between islands. Confusingly, microchips sometimes carry animals carrying microships. :)
@Doz: I think they come with pocket battleship.
We’re already eating chlorinated chicken from Brazil, just labelled “Made in Ireland” as it’s cooked, sliced, diced and packaged here.
Shergar burger anyone !!.
@tommytukamomo: A stallion should never be mixed with a scallion
It seems unbelievably crude
That the kindred of Shergar
Could get mixed in a burger
In Monaghan’s Silvercrest food
Why the long face?
Ate the goverment asleep?? And the ESB scandal went unnoticed also
Is there a health risk with eating horse meat?
@Coco86: It’s not great for the horse…
@Coco86: No, if the horse is/has been checked by Veterinary professional at time of slaughter.
@Coco86: yes, in that it’s not traceable and so is not properly regulated.
@Coco86: Yes , if the horse has been on certain medications , the horse is not considered fit for human consumption. Horses are meant to be chipped and if given those meds , that would need to be recorded on their passport .
@Coco86: it was reported on the news that the horses were unfit for human consumption hence the falsifying of paperwork.
@Coco86: ya can get the trots
Springer’s final thought;
Who was supplying incorrectly labelled horsemeat throughout Europe?
Mafia et al.
Who do they need to get rid of?
Lots of people who may negatively impact profits.
What did folk not test for in meat samples?
Human DNA.
Let that one sink in over dinner folks ;)
Well horse, how’s she cuttin’.
What’s with the long face sir? Not enjoying ur burger?
Meat products like certain foods say may contain nuts etc … Should say may contain other meats .
Does anyone actually regularly buy horse meat?
@Hardly Normal: its popular on the continent not so much here.
@Hardly Normal: I lived in Holland around 2003 and someone told me they were into it over there.. I was a vegetarian at the time so I didnt investigate it further..haha…but that’s as far as my horse eating knowledge goes..
@Hardly Normal: the belgians
It appears that the journal.ie don’t want certain establishments mentioned
Free press is certainly not alive and well where these shower are concerned
@builditnow: well let’s just say the biggest restraunt in Ireland
Have certainly brough their chickens home to roost all the way from twiwan
All the laughs and Jokes and many stupid comments above indicate that some people don’t mind if our international reputation is again destroyed and export income is lost and the result of that sort of effect means less money to pay the bills and the social welfare and all the rest of the costs of running this little Republic . Shame on those gangsters whoever They are ! It’s isn’t a laughing matter at all at all.
@Terry Cahill: Just remember that the firm which owned and operated the operation with the rotten imported Polish horse meat was owned by Europe’s biggest beef baron and he used the ensuing stink as an excuse to reduce the price he was paying to his own Irish suppliers AND GOT AWAY WITH IT.
@Terry Cahill: could not agree with you more. Why is there always some b……..ls cropping up every so often, destroying the reputation. And no heads will roll, vets, managers or owners.Saints and scholars…….
To many neigh sayers on this site.
Christ lads if ye knew where mc Donald’s are sourcing their chicken ,you never look at a chicken again
Couldn’t eat a whole one, maybe a fallabella with chips and a Coke!
Ahhh horsesh#t…
Steak Tartare ..
Expensive when you can get it
What are the odds for a bovine only burger.
Must have got the hind leg of a one from ballydoyle last night in the chipper I scorched up the town to back a looser
Is it illegal to eat horse meat?
@sb: Only if you’re an ass!
Neigh,not again
on holidays in France at the min had horse steak twice it’s bloody lovely
Here we go again!
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