The Mysterious Seventh on the Float

Rio's Sambadrome is a long arena built for Carnival. Every February, the top samba schools compete there with floats and dancers. At the Mangueira school workshop, craftsmen have long been used to a black cat named Xandinho.

He belongs to no one—he simply comes and goes. On nights before a float is finished, he leaps onto the tallest one and sits quietly among the feathers and sequins. The craftsmen say: "He's reviewing the draft."

Xandinho was first caught on camera on the championship night of 2015: as a float glided past the judges' stand, a black silhouette flashed on screen—everyone thought it was decoration, until he flicked his tail in the fireworks.

To this day, Mangueira's official page lists him as: "The seventh member—Xandinho, four paws, pure black, permanent honorary member."