Carnival and local traditions

Carnival (the carnivals of Recife and Olinda are the most popular and authentic) and the folkloric traditions of the north east coast constitute one of the richest historic cultures in the whole of Brazil: the 'maracatu' (profane procession with African roots which portrays the crowing of the King of the Congo and his wife with all of its ceremony), the 'fevro' (a type of very rhythmic polka), the 'blocos', the 'mamulengos', the 'xango' (similar to the 'candomblé' of Bahía), not to mention other cultural and artistic aspects such as the varied (and inexpensive) handicrafts which can be found all along the north east coast, innumerable schools of music and dance, etc. etc.