the.com/carnival
a city's collective decision to lose its mind, legally, before Lent demands repentance.
means A large public festival of processions, music, costumes, and revelry, traditionally held in the period before Lent, and by extension any travelling funfair with rides and sideshows.
from From Italian 'carnevale,' which most scholars trace to Medieval Latin 'carnem levare' — 'to remove meat' — marking the feasting before the meatless fasting of Lent. There's a charming folk version that reads it as 'carne vale,' a wistful 'farewell, flesh,' but that's the prettier afterthought, not the source. Either way the word carries a stomach's logic: eat, drink, and misbehave now, because Ash Wednesday is coming for you.
- latin roots
- means farewell to meat before fasting season
- rio scale
- millions party while sambadrome judges score parades
- venice masks
- once let nobles and servants mingle anonymously
- mardi gras
- french for fat tuesday, the final feast
- caribbean roots
- emancipated slaves reclaimed the streets in costume
venice carnival — annual festival in venice, italy dating to the 12th century, famous for elaborate masks and costumes
rio carnival — largest carnival in the world held in rio de janeiro, brazil, with 2+ million participants annually
trinidad carnival — major caribbean carnival in trinidad and tobago, celebrated for calypso music and steel drum bands since the 1800s
notting hill carnival — annual street festival in london since 1964, celebrating caribbean culture with parades and live music