All About Carnaval: The Festive Season Before Lent

Carnival is a period of merrymaking and festivity that takes place in many Roman Catholic countries in the final days before the Lenten season. The word might come from the medieval Latin carnem levare or carnelevarium, which means to take away meat. Carnival is the final festivity before the commencement of Lent, the 40 day period during which Roman Catholics traditionally fast and abstain from eating meat. In earlier times, Rome was the center of Carnival activity, and the splendor and richness of the festivities there were scarcely surpassed elsewhere. At the Carnival parade in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, demon masks are worn and large bells clanged to drive out evil spirits and announce the end of winter. In the United States, the principal Carnival celebration is New Orlean’s Mardi Gras festivities. Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent. The most famous modern Carnival is perhaps that of Rio de Janeiro, marked by masked balls, elaborate costumes, parades, and various other festivities.