Rio de Janeiro - The sensual, luxurious and excessive spirit of Carnival will take over the whole of Brazil beginning Friday. Left behind are the security crisis in Rio de Janeiro, the Catholic Church's complaints over free condom handouts and the banning of a controversial float that referred to the Holocaust, showing a repentant Adolf Hitler amid piled-up bodies.
Beyond the world-famous parades by samba schools with their official competition in Rio on Sunday and Monday night, there will be thousands of parties - many of them improvised - in every corner of the South American giant, giving millions of Brazilians the chance to shake frantically.
The popular festivities will be spared from a dispute between Rio's municipal authorities and the militarized police that broke out this week, as the police leadership was removed.
According to Rio's Public Safety official Jose Mariano Beltrame, the dispute has been settled and will not affect security in the city, which expects some 700,000 foreign tourists over Carnival this year.
The traditional popular celebration in which "everything goes" will also not be affected by the controversy over the Viradouro samba school's float. It was meant to depict the Holocaust, with piled-up naked bodies surrounding a figure of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, but a judge banned the presentation Thursday.
Viradouro accepted the court decision and said it would change its float, but it also promised a "surprising" protest at the Sambodromo Carnival stadium without giving further details.
Lastly, like every year, the Catholic Church complained - without too much success - about the government's AIDS-prevention programme, including the free handout of 19.5 million condoms over Carnival.
Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao said the prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases "is a public health problem, not a religious problem." The distribution of free condoms has been guaranteed, and fans of Carnival will be able to succumb more safely to the excesses that this profane feast promotes and inspires.
The celebrations are set to climax Sunday and Monday, when 12 specially-selected samba schools hold their parades. Brazilians and millions of spectators around the world will watch intently on television as the groups pour out all the magic and the splendour of their luxurious fantasies.
The Portuguese royal family, which visited Brazil exactly 200 years ago, will be remembered by two elite samba schools, Imperatriz Leopoldinense and Salgueiro, which will seek to show on stage the monarchy's adventures in the New World.
The popular samba school Mangueira - born in the slum of the same name and led by Max Lopes, better known as "The Magician of Colours" - drew inspiration once again from the poorest region in Brazil, the north-east, to tell the story of its most popular rhythm, the "frevo."
Brazilian workers will also be honoured in the official parade, when the group Vila Isabel recalls the fights and the conquests of the country's poor, its indigenous people and its black community.
The schools Grande Rio and Portela will highlight the environment, with stories about the Amazon and the planet's health.
The exotic touch will be provided by the group Unidos da Tijuca, set to present a tale of collectors and collections to the sound of music.
"I keep gathering what I want, my obsession is worth gold. I am Tijuca, I bring art, collecting my treasure," the group will sing.
Beyond the legal stumble, Viradouro plans to play on different situations that cause shivers, from kisses to horror films.
The traditional celebrations will continue without restrictions till Tuesday.
One day later, as if by magic, Ash Wednesday will see excess and sensuality give way to the reflection and discretion of Lent, as the world's largest Catholic community gets ready for Easter.
