Carnival is the holiday that celebrates the Catholic Church before the season of Lent. The word carnival comes from "Carne Vale" meaning "Farewell to Meat".
African culture has also been influential in this celebration in Brazil. One of his major contributions was the samba, the dancing king these days. It was introduced in 1917 by Africans residing in the country and its origin is in the lower strata of society carioca, as they mostly were slaves brought by the Portuguese.
Samba was formalized in 1928 at the founding of the first school in the Estacio neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. Years later he start to competition between institutions.