Call King Momo until Ash Wednesday comes,” Mayor Eduardo Paes, wearing shorts and a Panama hat, told Carnival revelers as drummers and veteran members of local samba schools celebrated and sang traditional songs.
Rio de Janeiro's mayor handed over the key to the city to its Carnival monarch on Friday, opening King Momo's five-day reign over the festivities.
Rio’s Carnival queen and princesses joined him, dancing to samba music as they held the city key aloft and confetti poured down upon them.
Some street parties have already been sweeping through Rio’s streets in the lead-up to Carnival, but the five-day celebrations will see almost city-authorized 500 bashes in the city.
On Friday afternoon, one of Rio's most traditional street parties, Carmelitas, took hold on the hilltop Santa Teresa neighborhood.
