Rio de Janeiro carnival festivities officially kick off

RIO DE JANEIRO. March 5. KAZINFORM Rio de Janeiro's carnival season, which draws hundreds of thousands of people from all the world, officially kicked off late Friday when mayor Eduardo Paes handed the key of the city to "King Momo." Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

The key will remain with the king of Carnivals until Ash Wednesday next week, when it is returned to the mayor.

"We ask people to have fun with tranquility, to respect the city, so that we can have a joyful carnival," Paes said to his people who will soon be filling the streets dancing samba with music parades.

Pre-carnival partying had begun weeks ago as city dwellers couldn't wait to escape the drab routines of daily life for complete revelry and catharsis.

However, a fire in early February burned through a storehouse and destroyed almost all the floats and costumes prepared by three samba schools, which would not be able to redo all the floats in time for the parade. A police investigation said the fire was an accident.

More than 700,000 visitors from Brazil and abroad are expected to arrive for the five-day festivities, according to the tourism department of the Rio de Janeiro state. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com