the pavão-pavãozinho and cantagalo favelas, sandwiched in between the ritzy districts of ipanema and copacabana, are the best example of this new phenomenon.

tourists and locals alike pay upwards of r$250 for a spot at a festa na laje, a party on the hand-made cinderblock terraces of the neighborhood which look out over one of the best views in the city.

walking along the beaches of rio, amongst the revelers in tiny swimwear and under the lights of one of the largest fireworks displays in the world, travelers will bear witness to the devotion of millions to the festa de yemanjá.

goddess of the water, yemanjá is the mother of all the gods in the pantheons of umbanda and candomblé.

she is characterized by her believers as enormously powerful, and as the possessor of the secrets of the ocean depths.