Following Rio Carnival 2023, heavy rains and floods in São Paulo state, Brazil, caused extensive damage and killed at least 36 people on February 25. The city of São Sebastião was one of the hardest hit, with many missing after at least 50 houses collapsed.
After the carnival, content began circulating on social media, including Facebook and TikTok, featuring a photo of a staged performance featuring two people portraying the devil and Christ. In the performance, the devil defeated Christ, which received backlash from the Christian community worldwide.
There were rumors that the man who played the role of the devil had died due to either a flood or an accident. However, these reports were found to be untrue, and Bolivia Verifica, a Brazilian blog, reported that the video featuring the staged performance was not from Rio Carnival 2023 but was recorded in March 2019.
The performance between Lucifer and the Nazarene was part of the Gaviões da Fiel school’ s staging in 2019, and although several samba schools addressed the same issue, it was the Gaviões da Fiel who portrayed the representation between Lucifer and Nazarene. The choreographer of the performance stated that their purpose was to make an impact, do something unique, and stir up the controversy between good and evil.
The Verifier Fato Ou Ake interviewed the actor who played the role of the devil and denied the rumors of his death on March 6, 2023. The interpreters of Jesus and the devil also appeared on the Brazilian media network, Globo, to discuss their performance.
The video featuring the staged performance has been reproduced more than 18 million times and received more than 687,000 reactions and 14,100 feedback. It was added with the description, “Actor who played Satan at carnival in Sao Paulo dies Brazil for mocking Jesus paid the consequences” (sic). The audiovisual lasts for one minute and shows images of a representation in which Satan fights with Christ, and subsequently, photographs of a traffic accident are seen while a voiceover narrates.
while rumors of the death of the actor who played the devil role in the satanic parade at Rio Carnival 2023 spread on social media, they were found to be untrue. The staged performance that received backlash from the Christian community was not from Rio Carnival 2023 but was recorded in March 2019.
