Thu, Feb 7th 2008, 00:00
Carnival is celebrated in many parts of the world. It is traditionally a Christian celebration which has ancient roots.
The Carnival of Venice was celebrated right back in the 1200’s and is still popular to this day. It is a glamorous affair fitting of the beauty of the city, distinctive for the wearing of elaborate carnival masks
There are elements of ancient pre-christan rites in today’s carnival celebrations. The ancient Greeks held a spring festival in honour of Dionysus, the god of wine. Later the Romans adopted the tradition in honour of their own god of wine, Bacchus.
The ancient Greek festival of Saturnalia was held in December in honour of Saturn, god of fertility and harvest. This was a day of light-hearted revelry where traditionally slaves and their masters changed roles and exchanged clothes for a day of drunken debauchery.
It is likely that the spirit of Saturnalia was adopted by the Catholic Church for their pre-lenten celebration. Carnival has been a lively Christian festival which represents the last chance for indulgence and revelry before Lent. During Lent, Christians are expected to fast and pray in penitence and preparation for the great Christian celebration of Easter.
The word carnival is believed to come from the latin carne vale, which means "farewell to meat". It is generally associated with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox strands of Christianity – a last chance for followers to let their hair down before the penitence and deprivations of Lent.
These days Carnival is a non-religious holiday where everyone gets to party. Rio Carnival is the largest celebration of its kind, but there are many more carnival traditions round the world. Mardi Gras in New Orleans attracts the crowds, but throughout Europe and the Caribbean Carnival is a popular date on everyone’s calendar.
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