Source: WTL photograph© on site in Bahia.
Comment: This baiana (woman from Bahia) is wearing a costume typical of those worn to celebrate Carnaval (sic; Mardi Gras). Carnival (sic) in Bahia is one of the most exhuberant and famous of such celebrations in the world. Traditionally the holiday actually lasts the four days before Ash Wednesday, but in Bahia it lasts a whole week. Because the costumes, dances, and festivities are so spectacular, baianos spend most of the year preparing for Carnaval. Unlike Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, however, where a lot of government money is spent on the holiday, in Bahia there is simply much more wild fun, drinking, dancing, and music. The syncretism of Roman Catholic and Afro-Brazilian religions is seen most intensely during Carnaval. Candomblé musicians in groups called afoxés celebrate under banners of African gods. One of these patron gods, curiously, is the great Indian non-violence independence martyr, Mahatma Gandhi! Capoeira is also celebrated. This is a martial art that combines foot fighting and dance. For more about this art and images of capoeira, see: => Bahia #12a.