Brazil Paraty Carnival | No Glitter: Paraty’s Carnival Celebration Is All About Mud

While Brazil’s Carnival is famous for glitter, samba and flamboyant costumes, revelers in Paraty take a very different approach. At Jabaquara Beach, participants cover themselves in thick gray mud, roll through the shallows and parade like a prehistoric tribe in a decades-old tradition that began in 1986. The unique celebration, rooted in spontaneity and environmental awareness, has grown into a beloved local custom. As mud-covered partygoers chant “Uga! Uga!” and march under the blazing sun, the event highlights unity beyond economic divides, bringing rich and poor together in one earthy spectacle.