Carnival (often spelled Carnaval) is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; typically involves street parades. People often dress up or masquerade during Carnival celebrations and parties.
Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party.
People often dress up or masquerade
during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. In
Germany and the Netherlands, the Carnival season is traditionally opened
on 11/11 (often at 11:11 a.m.).
Carnival is traditionally held in areas with a large Catholic and to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox makeup. Protestant areas usually do not have Carnival celebrations or have modified traditions, such as the Danish Carnival or other Shrove Tuesday events. Conversely, the Philippines,
though a predominantly Roman Catholic country, does not have Carnival
celebrations because it has been culturally influenced by neighboring
Asian nations, which do not have Carnival celebrations.
History
The Lenten period of the Liturgical year Church calendar, being the
six weeks directly before Easter, was marked by fasting and other pious
or penitential practices. Traditionally during Lent, no parties or other
celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods,
such as meat, dairy, fats and sugar. The forty days of Lent, recalling
the Gospel
accounts of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, serve to
mark an annual time of turning. In the days before Lent, all rich food
and drink had to be disposed of. The consumption of this, in a giant
party that involved the whole community, is thought to be the origin of
Carnival.
While it forms an integral part of the Christian calendar, particularly in Catholic regions, many carnival traditions date back to pre-Christian times.
The Italian Carnival may be derived from the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Bacchanalia. The Saturnalia, in turn, may be based on the Greek Dionysia and Oriental festivals. While medieval pageants and festivals such as Corpus Christi
were church-sanctioned celebrations, carnival was also a manifestation
of medieval folk culture. Many local carnival customs are based on local
pre-Christian rituals, for example the elaborate rites involving masked
figures in the Swabian–Alemannic Fastnacht.
Some of the best-known traditions, including carnival parades and masquerade ball masquerading, were first recorded in medieval Italy. The carnival of Venice
was, for a long time, the most famous carnival. From Italy, carnival
traditions spread to the Catholic nations of Spain, Portugal, and
France. From France, they spread to the Rhineland of Germany, and to New France
in North America. From Spain and Portugal, they spread with Catholic
colonization to the Caribean and Latin America. In 1823 the first
worldwide carnival parade took place in Cologne, Germany.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Carnival" is disputed, between those that
argue a link with the Italian word "carne" (meat), and those that argue a
link with the word "carrus" (car). The link with carne would suggest an origin within Christianity, while the link with carro with earlier religions.
From Carne Levare
Those that argue for the origin from "carne", point to variants in
Italian dialects that would suggest that the name comes from the Italian
carne levare or similar, meaning "to remove meat", since meat is prohibited during Lent.
From Carne Vale
Folk etymologies exist which state that the word comes from the Late Latin expression carne vale,
which means "farewell to meat", signifying that those were the last
days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent. The word carne may also be translated as flesh, so suggesting carne vale
as "a farewell to the flesh", a phrase actually embraced by certain
Carnival celebrants who encourage letting go of your former (or
everyday) self and embracing the carefree nature of the festival.
However, explanations proceeding from carne vale seem to be folk etymologies and are not supported by philological evidence
Other scholars argue for the origin from the Roman name for the festival of the Navigium Isidis (ship of Isis), where the image of Isis was carried to the sea-shore to bless the start of the sailing season. The festival consisted of a parade of masks following an adorned wooden boat, that would reflect the floats of modern Carnivals. Modern Carnival shares resemblances with the Navigium Isidis.
The Carnival of Venice (Veneto)
was
first recorded in the 13th century but Venice has only been "the city of
Carnival" since the 18th century, when people from all over Europe came
to its fantastic parties. Recently there has been a great revival of
the Venetian carnival. In the city there are a lot of parties, dancing
and costumes parades.
Mardi Gras (/ˈmɑrdi ˈɡrɑː/; French meaning "Fat Tuesday") is an annual Carnival celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
The New Orleans Carnival season, a variation of the traditional manner of preparing for the start of the Catholic season of Lent, starts after Twelfth Night, on Epiphany (January 6). It is a season of parades, balls (some of them masquerade balls), and king cake
parties. It has traditionally been part of the winter social season;
which at one time was when parties for Southern Society women, débutante
balls, were arranged.
Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), the day before Ash Wednesday.
Usually there is one major parade each day (weather permitting); many
days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades
take place the last five days of the season. In the final week of
Carnival, many events large and small occur throughout New Orleans and
surrounding communities. Neighboring communities also hold Carnival
celebrations.
The parades in New Orleans are organized by Carnival krewes. Krewe float riders toss throws to the crowds; the most common throws are strings of colorful plastic beads, doubloons (aluminum or wooden dollar-sized coins usually impressed with a krewe logo), decorated plastic throw cups, and small inexpensive toys. Major krewes follow the same parade schedule and route each year.
While many tourists center their Carnival season activities on Bourbon Street and the French Quarter,
none of the major Carnival parades have entered the French Quarter
since 1972 because of its narrow streets and overhead obstructions.
Instead, major parades originate in the Uptown and Mid-City districts
and follow a route along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street,
on the upriver side of the French Quarter. Exposing body parts, or
"flashing", in an effort to catch more beads or throws, is frowned upon
by the police department and can be grounds for a ticket or an arrest.
Though it is a growing trend for uninhibited, mostly younger women to
show their breasts, this practice mostly only takes place on and around Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. The Uptown and Mid-City parade routes are family-friendly gatherings for citizens of all ages to enjoy the parades.
"Mardi Gras" specifically refers to the Tuesday before lent, the
highlight of the season. The term is also redundantly used less
specifically the whole Carnival season, sometimes as "the Mardi Gras
season". The term "Fat Tuesday" or "Mardi Gras Day", also redundant,
always refers only to that specific day.
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