King Momo`s Reign Over Rio de Janeiro Starts Friday
Baku, February 20 (AZERTAC). Rio de Janeiro will be reigned over until Ash Wednesday by Carnival sovereign King Momo, who received the keys to the city from Mayor Eduardo Paes in a ceremony marking the official opening of the world`s most famous pre-Lenten celebration. “I take the liberty at this time to give the keys to the city and the office of mayor to King Momo. It will be he who exercises all municipal powers over the next five days,” Paes said Friday amid the loud, colorful festivities at city hall. King Momo, whose non-regal name is Milton Junior, is a jolly and particularly good-natured-looking fat man. He arrived at city hall in a limousine, stepped out onto a red carpet and had his hand kissed by the mayor. “I declare the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro officially open,” said King Momo, wearing the official costume for the occasion. He then explained that in order to be crowned he first had to show that his obesity did not stop him from being a great dancer. The revelry surrounding the handing over of the keys to the city moved to the beat of the municipality`s official band and of the orchestra of the Beija-Flor samba school, last year`s Carnival winner. The symbolic event kicked off a marathon of parades, non-stop partying and ballroom dancing that goes on for five days and for which some 850,000 tourists are expected, 250,000 of them from other countries, the authorities said. According to Rio tourism-office estimates, visitors will spend some $620 million in the city during the pre-Lenten holidays. Paes was pleased to hand over to King Momo a city with a spruced-up Carnival thanks to improvements at the Sambadrome where the samba schools parade, and at the Terreirao do Samba, the arena for everybody`s favorite dances. Though Carnival officially began Friday, many dance troupes have been parading over the past few days to get their orchestras ready, to present the music composed for this year, and to show off their lavish new costumes.
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