Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A themed float on which Putin impales the Duesseldorf carnival figure Hoppeditz drives out of the float construction hall. Rose ...

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome hosted a glitzy parade Sunday evening celebrating Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a year he bids for his fourth inconsecutive term.

In a faded rehearsal hall in the gritty concrete sprawl of northern Rio de Janeiro, samba dancers and drummers fine-tune their rhythms for a grassroots carnival parade few tourists have heard of.

The world’s second-largest carnival after Rio, this Tenerife tradition is spectacular—but those who want to see it should plan early.