Tuesday, with the five-day fiesta culminating in spectacular samba
parades and partying throughout the streets of Brazil's second-largest
city.
at Monday night's parade, while another float celebrated Brazil's Grand Prix.
Although lavish parades stole most of the 900,000 tourists' attention, since Friday
have pulsed through Rio.
With anti-government demonstrations simmering in the lead-up to the World Cup, a few Brazilians even used
, AFP reported.
But
Carnival, a tradition which dates back to the early 18th century, is
mainly a moment of ecstatic national pride. "Yes, it's a party. But it's
also us honoring our history and ensuring that samba will never die,"
one samba dancer told the AP.
Here are a number of spectacular images from the raucous finale in Rio.
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Getty Images
Cris Vianna, Queen of Percussion of
Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school, performs during its parade at
2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on March 03, 2014 in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
A member of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
A member of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014.(TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Vila Isabel samba school
perform during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in
Rio de Janeiro, on March 4, 2014. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO
LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Portela samba school perform
during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (YASUYOSHI
CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Portela samba school perform
during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Juliana Alves, Queen of Percussion of Unidos
da Tijuca samba school, performs during its parade at 2014 Brazilian
Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Unidos da Tijuca Samba School
during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on
March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Imperatriz Leopoldinense Samba
School during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai
Sambadrome on March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda
Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (YASUYOSHI
CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (YASUYOSHI
CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (YASUYOSHI
CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba
school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the
Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (YASUYOSHI
CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Imperatriz Leopoldinense Samba
School perform during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai
Sambadrome on March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda
Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Former Brazilian football player Rivelino
performs with the Imperatriz samba school during the second night of
carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4,
2014. (TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Portela samba school perform
during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Members of Imperatriz Leopoldinense Samba
School during their parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai
Sambadrome on March 03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda
Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Former Flamengo team players that won the
1981 world championship perform during Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba
school parade at 2014 Brazilian Carnival at Sapucai Sambadrome on March
03, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Imperatriz samba school
perform during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty
Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Imperatriz samba school
perform during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty
Images)
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Getty Images
Revelers of the Imperatriz samba school
perform during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 4, 2014. (TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty
Images)