Rio de Janeiro - Controversy over "tearful, distressed" 7-year-old Carnival queen

A 7-year-old Rio Carnival queen parades, in tears

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A tearful 7-year-old Carnival queen led exuberant drummers through the Sambadrome stadium on Sunday, in a distressed state that may add to controversy over whether a tiny child should perform such a high-pressure, sexually-charged role.

Julia Lira emerged blinking into the bright lights and deafening fireworks of the Sambadrome and soon burst into tears as photographers and reporters scrummed around her before her samba group started its parade.

Wearing a short purple dress, a sequined halter and a silver tiara, Lira shyly remained silent in the face of reporters questions and then, clearly upset, had to be comforted by her father and other performers as the tears flowed.

It was unclear to what extent Lira, the youngest drum corps queen in memory, completed the full parade, although her father said that he held her hand as she crossed the finish line.

"She cried because there were a lot of people on top of her," said her father, Marco Lira, who is also president of the Viradouro samba group, or school.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61D1FB20100215