Added: 07/23/2005 |
Carnivals - the Best Way to Have FunWhen we hear the word "carnivals", we think of national celebrations, yet nowadays they attract more and more foreigners.
As Wikipedia says, a carnival parade is a public celebration, combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the Carnival Season. Carnival is mostly a tradition of long-time Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Christian Orthodox areas of the world. Most Protestant and non-Christian areas do not celebrate it.
There are several versions of word "carnival" origin: from the Italian carne- or carnovale, from Latin carnem (meat) + levare (lighten or raise), literally "to remove the meat" or "stop eating meat". The carnival season began on Septuagesima, the third from the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday and continued until Lent. This period of celebration and partying had its origin in the need to use up all remaining meat and animal products such as eggs and butter before the fasting season (see Carnival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
These days rare countries observe the religious traditions of the celebration. Even Brazilians, who are supposed to hold the greatest and the brightest carnival, celebrate it more as a profane feast than a religious event. The Brazilian Carnival (or Carnaval, as it is called in the country) is held forty days before Easter and marks the start of Lent. It can be smelt and breathed in the air of Rio de Janeiro. Everywhere you look at Carnaval time you can see a Carnaval smile, you can hear a Carnaval samba beat and you can feel the Carnaval spirit (see www.2camels.com).
The carnival has always been the most exciting moment for the Brazilians. They save money the whole year in order to spend them during the Carnival. Most of Brazilians go to Samba schools, because the Carnaval is actually a competition of Samba schools. Brazilians dance very well, so if you have never danced samba, you may follow Brazilians around you. The dances, costumes, floats are perhaps the main criteria for the judges. Masks, floats, are always present too. The music is all Samba.
If Brazil is considered to be the heart of world Carnivals, other countries are no less original. France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, England, Canada, Netherlands, Poland, Mexico, Bolivia and many others observe carnival traditions too. Canada, for example, holds the coldest carnival in the world. The temperature is -30C, which is -22F. There are snow and ice sculptures all over the streets.
No matter what country holds the carnival, everyone is sure to enjoy the celebration. And if you travel on special purpose - to take part in the carnival, you certainly should visit Brazil first - you'll be excited.
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