Across Brazil border, Uruguay hosts lively carnival revelry

Although Uruguay is not a country where most people associate with carnival, several of its cities are known for hosting lively pre-Lenten celebrations.

Located on Uruguay's border with carnival king Brazil, Artigas hosts an authentic mini carnival each year, complete with competing samba schools.

Separated from Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul by just a bridge, but with a distant 600 km from Uruguay's capital city of Montevideo, Artigas understandably shares some cultural traits with its carnival-celebrating neighbor.

The town even has its own version of Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome -- a 700-meter-long Lecueder Avenue, where each school parades with a minimum of five floats, and some 600 dancers and drummers.

Artigas' Samba schools have three nights to parade their talent in front of thousands of spectators lining the avenue.

Last year, Emperadores de la Zona Sur wrested the carnival crown from Barrio Rampla, breaking that school's nine-year winning streak.

This year, Emperadores plans to hold on to the title with a complex theme representing "a roar of hope to save humankind" and the search for "the values that are being lost: respect and honesty."

Rampla, meanwhile, is paying homage to national soccer star Luis Suarez, who plays for Spanish club Barcelona.

"We're not going to focus on his football career, but on his life story," school spokesperson Claudia Pereira said.

Uruguay's Tourism Ministry says the town has adapted carnival dances and rhythms to national and local mores and customs, "demonstrating the hybrid character of the border, which celebrates the style of life of a community situated between two countries."

Another border town, Rivera is home to what residents tout as "the funniest carnival in Uruguay."

"Here, carnival is characterized by being multi-cultural and including all rhythms. That's why here visitors can enjoy the candombe (an Afro-Uruguayan beat), samba schools and the rhythm of Bahia (Brazil) trios," say organizers.

The candombe originated with African slaves that were brought to this part of South America in the 1800s and has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

City tourism chief Carlos Martorell said this year Rivera is hosting a binational carnival organized in conjunction with Brazilian sister border city Santana Do Livramento.

The coastal city of La Pedrera, on the Atlantic, celebrates carnival in its own unique way, with a parade of groups that together choose the theme, costumes, songs and dances. There's no competition and no prizes, but plenty of water fights. Endi