The day carnival was postponed … Then Brazil celebrated it twice

A sensationalist 2017 Daily Mail headline warned that the “culture wars” developing in Brazil could lead to the cancellation of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Since early 2016, while the country was going through its deepest economic crisis in recorded history amid political chaos that would lead to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, a series of international news broke with the traditional image of Brazil, arguing that many cities throughout the country would go as far as canceling the nation’s biggest party due to budget cuts.

Still, Carnival survived, and the whole country is already back on the streets this weekend, ignoring its problems and celebrating.

A century ago, however, Brazil did almost cancel its Carnival—or at least tried to postpone it. This led to a year when the nation ended up two Carnivals, consolidating one of the strongest symbols of the country.

The controversy was sparked by the death of Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Minister, one week before the Carnival of 1912, and the country entered a process of mourning just days before the people were supposed to be out on the streets partying. All over Rio de Janeiro—the capital of Brazil at the time—the rumor was that Carnival would be canceled or postponed.

The Baron of Rio Branco

José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior, the Baron of Rio Branco, was more than a regular cabinet minister. When he died aged 66, he had been the leading figure of Brazilian diplomacy for a decade, gaining...