A celebration of song, music and dance that goes back hundreds of years, carnival has been dated all the way to ancient Greece, where festivities were held in honour of the Greek good of wine, Dionysius. Carnival was later said to have been adopted by the Romans. The Catholic Church's followers would celebrate with a big party in preparation for Lent, the 40 days of abstinence from meat and other physical pleasures. It is said that the name "carnival", comes from the latin Carne Vale, means to put away meat.
One of the oldest carnivals still celebrated today is in Venice. This year, festivities started on January 25 and will continue till February 5. All over this famed city there are venues presenting shows and holding balls with the traditional costumes of cloak and mask that this carnival is known for.
The mask was used for centuries during festivities to disguise oneself; it meant everyone was free to do as they liked, and no one could see the person's identity or social status.The celebrations spread across Europe and were brought to America by the Portuguese, Spanish and French. Here the Catholic traditions of celebrating before Lent took on a multicultural flavour that today is recognized all over the world; full of influences from African, Amerindian and European cultures.
As the Catholic tradition has it, carnival is usually celebrated until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday or "Mardi gras" (fat Tuesday) as it's sometimes called, to indicate the beginning of Lent. One of the most popular Mardi Gras celebrations takes place in New Orleans. It starts two weeks before Lent; this year it is taking place until February 5 .
This festivity brought to Louisiana by French settlers was traditionally a masquerade ball that soon became a street celebration for all. Parades, costumes and coloured beads have become signatures of Mardi Gras. Unfortunately, after the devastating hurricane Katrina that hit the city in 2005, the celebrations took a big hit. The people of New Orleans have continued with great effort to keep Mardi Gras celebrations alive.
In the Caribbean, different islands have their own festivities, with the best known around the world being the carnival of Trinidad and Tobago. Although they start preparing months before, they show off all their hard work on February 4 and 5 this year. The streets fill with beautiful and sexy costume-clad islanders dancing to steel drums followed by calypso and soca.
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival, probably the most popular around the world, officially started on February 2. Many cities in Brazil celebrate carnival, but the most admired and advertised all over the world is Rio. It’s a massive party that tourists from all over like attend to watch locals dancing to the samba for days and take part in the festivities.Preparations begin way before the shows take place; the sewing of costumes, practicing the dances and music, plus arranging the meticulous floats take months. It is in February when it all comes together and the Samba schools parade all the way to sambodrome stadium, with original costumes to see who wins the year’s celebrations.
There are many other cities around the world that celebrate carnival as well, following the time of the Catholic tradition, although the festivals are not religious. In Cologne, Germany they begin early in November with festivities that go on until three days before lent. In Tenerife, Spain carnival started on January 30 and runs till February 10, one of the most popular celebrations in Spain. In Uruguay, carnival is said to be one of the longest in the world; from December until February, the streets of the city are filled with parties and parades.
