through blocos, carnival in rio became a place of expressive freedom, without many rules to limit this expression.

excesses were not only allowed, but encouraged and, in a jovial way, things became quite intense.

mockeries were made of different classes and with costumes stereotypes were illuminated, for better or worse.

blocos are descendants of entrudos, which was a carnival battle between groups using projectiles like eggs, lupine flowers, limes, and other objects filled with perfumes or, at times, substances of foul smell.

these entrudos were battlegrounds where adversaries were treated as equals, though within entrudos moods may not have been always as jovial as in today's blocos.