Carnival is celebrated around the world. It has become a very popular tourist attraction. Different cities around the world have many different ways of celebrating it. It started as a Christian holiday type thing called Lent. Lent was a time to fast and suffer as Jesus had. Before Lent people wanted to enjoy themselves and Carnival was created. When carnival ended and Lent started it was called Ash Wednesday(40 days before Easter)
Guaranda, Ecuador celebrates Carnival with parades that involve dancing. After the parade most of the kids and some adults get water guns or cans of spray stuff and fight. Ambato, Ecuador has the parades mostly the same but have a massive spray stuff fight afterwards.
The Carnival celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana began as a French Catholic tradition in the late 17th century; the term “Mardi Gras” is French for “Fat Tuesday,” the last day of the three-day festival. The event is known for its parade with masked people throwing beaded necklaces and other things to the viewers. Although the event has suffered since Hurricane Katrina hit the city, Mardi Gras is coming back as a fairly big tourist destination.
Germany’s celebrations of the days before Lent change based on the region. In the West, the Karneval celebrations include parades and costume balls, the Eastern and Southern part of the country celebrate Fasching, and the Southwest celebrates Fastnacht. This time is considered Germany’s “silly season” and events include local women taking over the town’s government building, men’s ties being cut off by single partying women, and parades with silly string and parties filled with locals wearing masks.
The day before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday in England, Ireland, and Australia. Pancakes are associated with the day because they were considered a way to use up several of the rich foods before the fasting season. While it is not as much of a tourist destination as some of the other carnival festivities, some local traditions such as pancake races and Shrove Tuesday football are popular events
The Brazilian Carnival, held the four days before Ash Wednesday, is another popular destination for travelers looking for a party with costumes, parades, and live music. The events in Rio de Janeiro began in the 1830s when the city attempted to copy the parades and balls of Europe; it has since turned into its own event and draws thousands of visitors each year.
