CARNIVAL

Carnival is a festive season occurring before lent, usually around February or March. In this event people wear colorful masks and costumes and participate in a parade, which contains elements of a circus and a street party.

Items prohibited during lent are often consumed in vast amounts and it is usually encouraged to go wild during a carnival, satirising or celebrating things that are seen as unacceptable in everyday society.

The most famous carnival is the one in Rio.

Rio de Janiero the carnival

 In Rio de Janiero the carnival is celebrated in honour of the gods and the great waters, whereas in other places it is more of  a decadent blow-out before Lent.

What do people wear?

The Carnival is celebrated with a grand parade of festivity, merry-making and excess. The costumes are designed and made by the samba schools, and are famous for their vast amounts of color, outlandish accessories, wonderfully over the top headpieces and the common use of feathers.

The parade is divided into what is known as wings. Each school’s wings represent a specific theme which is reflected in their costumes. The ground wing is reserved to dancers and musicians that surround the float, the float wing is for the performers on the floats themselves. 

The Carnival of Venice

Is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks.

History of the masks.

There is little evidence explaining the motive for the earliest mask wearing in Venice. One scholar argues that covering the face in public was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in European history. During Carnival, the sumptuary laws were suspended, and people could dress as they liked, instead of according to the rules that were set down in law for their profession and social class.

What Is Mardi Gras?

It’s fairly well known that Mardi Gras—that world-famous New Orleans party/parade tradition complete with elaborate floats, historic krewes, live bands, and lots of plastic beads—is also known as “Fat Tuesday.” That’s because it was traditionally the last time for Roman Catholics to enjoy rich foods before Ash Wednesday, which kicks off the lean fasting season of Lent 

The Brazilian Carnival

During the countdown to WorldSkills São Paulo 2015, we'll present and show a little bit of Brazilian culture and customs. In this article, you'll learn more about one of the most traditionally holidays and festivals in Brazil: Carnival.

As in the other parts of the world, the Brazilian Carnival occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. The celebration has its origins in Portugal, where it began in the fifteenth century.