good humour and smiles are a strong component of carioca culture, and while april 1st may not be widely celebrated, jokes and fun are most definitely part of life in rio de janeiro.

o n april 19th, the day of the indigenous (Dia do Índio) celebrates indians of various ethnicities by presenting videos, traditional indigenous dances, and arts of various origin at the museu do índio (indian museum).

This day serves as a reminder of the day when the 1st Inter-American Indigenous Congress was held in Patzcuaro, Mexico, in 1940, and the native peoples of Mexico, Panama, Chile, and the USA took part in the debates competent to their lands and development.