Brazil: Gallo del Alba is a carnival for the underprivileged

*Rooster of dawn is the world’s largest carnival bloc *Carnival have historically been made by and for the poor and working class

Transcript

00:00 For millions of revelers, Carnival Saturday in Recife is synonymous with the Gallo da Madrugada, or Rooster of Dawn,

00:08 which according to many sources is the world's largest carnival block.

00:12 It was featured on the cover of the 1994 Guinness Book of World Records after it drew a crowd of 1.5 million,

00:19 and in 2017 it surpassed its own record when 2.3 million revelers came out to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

00:26 Our hopes for Carnival are always the same, a lot of emotion and a lot of positive vibrations,

00:32 and today marks my 46th anniversary leading the rooster,

00:37 and I'm going to keep moving forward with this carnival life as long as God allows it.

00:42 Brazil's carnival has historically been made by and for the poor and working class,

00:47 but there's been a constant battle against the elites trying to take it over.

00:51 Whereas in some cities, middle class revelers pay as much as US$1,000 for special t-shirts

00:57 that allow them privileged access to roped-off areas behind the sound trucks,

01:01 this practice was made illegal in Recife, making it one of Brazil's most democratic carnivals.

01:08 The Rooster of Dawn is the largest carnival block in the world, and what's special about it are the people,

01:16 its cultural diversity and energy and its contractors, and this is what has transformed it into the world's largest carnival block.

01:25 Carnival will continue until February 13th. Known around the world as Fat Tuesday.

01:31 Brian Meir, TELUSUR, Recife.