Sexy Women And plenty of skin are all on show at Rio's famous carnival

Sexy sequins and plenty of skin are all on show as Rio's famous carnival opens with its traditional spectacular samba dancing

• The city's 13 top samba schools were competing for the title of carnival champions and pulled out all the stops
• Thousands flocked to see the elaborate parades and dancers' spectacular costumes in the city's Sambadrome
• The five-day Rio Carnival dates back to 1640 and is a spectacular celebration to mark the start of lent

Rio de Janeiro kicked off its annual carnival parades over the weekend in a swirl of glitter, sequins, and spectacular outfits.

The Brazilian city's 13 top samba schools were competing for the title of carnival champions and each had around one hour to wow spectators in the Sambadrome with elaborate shows and scantily clad dancers.

Thousands flocked to see the parades and competitions for the five-day celebration to mark the start of Lent.

Members of multiple parades represent different parts of the annual extravaganza, while men and women partake in an array of fascinating dances and performances. 

The Rio Carnival typically starts a week before Ash Wednesday with parties beginning in December, despite being heavily influenced by European and African traditions today.

The first one was held in the 1640s in honor of the Greek wine gods and saw the Romans organize events to celebrate Saturnalia and Bacchus. 

The first masquerade carnival took place in 1840 and saw influence from Italy's carnivals - with revelers dancing to the polka and waltz. Samba was then incorporated in 1917.  

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