Thousands of people have been joining in carnival celebrations in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Crowds gathered at the Sambadrome in the centre of the city to watch a parade lasting all night. This report from Gary Duffy:

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Each samba school picks a social or historical theme which is reflected in their costumes, floats and music. This year, topics included everything from the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil to one hundred years of Japanese immigration.

Controversially, one samba school wanted to use a float to portray the naked bodies of Holocaust victims. The Viradouro school said they intended to send a message to the world that this should never happen again. However, after Jewish leaders took the issue to court, the float was banned. To show their dismay at this decision, Viradouro were using the float to focus on freedom of speech instead.

But controversies aside, the mood in Rio, a city that has had its fair share of problems, was overwhelmingly one of celebration - and as if to make the point, they intend to repeat the party all over again on Monday night with another six samba schools.

Gary Duffy, BBC News, Rio de Janeiro

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the focus of the main parade
the centre of attention of the celebration where a large number of people walk, dance or move in the same direction

shanty towns
an area in or near a city where poor people live in small, very cheaply built houses

an explosion of sound and colour
a sudden burst of exciting, stimulating music and lots of bright colours

floats
large vehicles with flat surfaces which are decorated and used in festivals

Controversially
Causing a lot of disagreement

to portray the naked bodies of Holocaust victims
to represent the millions of (mainly Jewish) people who were killed by the Nazis in the Second World War; the people on the float were unclothed

took the issue to court
asked a judge to decide whether something should happen

dismay
sadness or disappointment

had its fair share of problems
had a lot of difficulties

as if to make the point
it seems that they want to emphasize, or highlight their reason

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