Carnivals Around the World

Janine Dyer

The word carnival is synonymous with images of sequined costumes, dancing, rhythmic melodies and the general feeling of celebration and revelry. It has changed little from its origins, the Italian festival of Carnevale a wild festival organised by Catholic villagers right before entering the period of abstinence, a celebration where every excess was allowed.
Now this celebration is an annual fiesta that can be found in many different parts of the world. February and March are the traditional Carnival months but more and more festivals, such as the Notting Hill Carnival, now happen in the summer time. With so many events around the world here is a list of the festivals that have become premiere destinations for revellers.

Caribana – Toronto, Canada
15th July – 13th August 2010
Since its inception in 1967 Caribana has become one of North America’s largest most spectacular events. The two week festivities culminate with a Saturday parade that draws about a million tourists to Toronto every year. Described as “a fusion of festive traditions inherited from African, East Indian, Caribbean, Latin and European cultures” Caribana will be celebrating its 43rd year in 2010. Its origins lie in a community heritage project which based the parade on the Trinidad Carnival. It covers a 3.6km route where 10,000 masqueraders, floats and trucks playing reggae, salsa and soca music pass by. There are more than 30 nightly parties around the city and events like Pan Alive, the Junior Carnival and the King and Queen competitions take place.
www.caribanafestival.com

Mardi Gras – New Orleans, USA
March 8th 2011
New Orleans, Louisiana has been celebrating Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) since the French settled on their shores, with the first festival taking place in 1703. Mardi Gras has considerably evolved through the centuries with elegant balls and parades introduced to the festivities. Today its is known the world over for its traditions like revellers collecting beaded necklaces and the wild street parties down the infamous Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. Still steeped in the Christian traditions the lent period still dictates when Mardi Gras takes place. Purple, green and gold are the official colours and the holiday is full of music, picnics, and floats.

Even the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 could not stop the celebration. The 2006 Mardi Gras saw smaller floats and balls but the people of New Orleans were determined to let the show go on and proved that this was one part of the city that could not be destroyed by the water.
www.mardigrasneworleans.com

Carnevale di Venezia – Venice, Italy
February 26th to March 8th 2011
Venetian masks are the symbol of the Venice Carnival. The hand painted papier maché masks were traditionally worn throughout the year at various balls and ceremonies but were central to the carnival celebrations. A fixture since the 15th century the celebrations have come a long way from the brothels and balls, gambling dens and theatres. Today it still attracts hundreds of tourists who come to enjoy the beauty of the city on water. Visitors get to enjoy traditional balls, processions, costumes and canal and palace festivals.
www.carnivalofvenice.com

Rio Carnival – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
March 5th to March 8th 2011
The most lavish and infamous of the international carnivals, Rio is the annual mecca for tourists attracted by the splendour and decadence of the festivies. For two days enormous floats and intricate costumes are paraded through the Sambódromo Stadium. This Brazilian carnival has evolved from the waltzes of the 1840s and the military parades into the parades of today organised by the powerful samba schools. It is heavily influenced by African Brazilian culture and is televised around the globe. Thousands of tourists flock to the city to be both spectators and participants.
www.rio-carnival.net

Trinidad Carnival – Trinidad and Tobago
March 7th to March 8th 2011
Trinidad and Tobago carnival has heavily influenced London’s Notting Hill Carnival, Toronto’s Caribana, New York’s Labour Parade and numerous other Caribbean festivals. The steel bands, elaborate costumes, mas bands, calypso and Soca music are an integral part of the Trinidad carnival. The parade of bands where hundreds of revellers dance through the streets happens on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday but the months before are full of parties, competitions and various other preparations for those two days. New calypsos and soca songs are performed in tents and revellers purchase their costumes from ‘mas’ camps.
The French settlers introduced carnival to the twin island republic in 1785 and the African slaves quickly adopted and made the celebrations their own. Today it is one of the most important dates in the country’s calendar attracting thousands of foreigners and uniting immigrants from India, Europe, Africa, China and Asia who have settled there over the centuries.
www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/trinidad/carnival

Rotterdam Carnival – Netherlands
July 30 to August 1st 2010
A staple on the Rotterdam summer calendar is their 3 day carnival celebrations whose Dutch name is Zomercarnaval.. Described as a miniature version of Brazil’s festivities, it is a huge event that attracts thousands of visitors from Europe alone. First there is the Summer Carnival Queen competition where a Queen is chosen to represent the event for the rest of the summer. Judged in three rounds on talent, eloquence and the beauty of the costumes the final winner is chosen by both the public and a jury.

There is the battle of the drums on the Friday night where four bands leave various locations around the city converging on the Coolsingel. Saturday is when the main parade dances 2.5km through the city centre. Pulsating Latin rhythms and gorgeous costumes have made it one of the city’s largest festivals since its inception in 1984.
www.zomercarnaval.nl/nl/English

Notting Hill Carnival – London
August 28th to August 30th 2010
Hailed as the largest carnival celebration in Europe, Notting Hill carnival is London’s last great party of the summer. The last August bank Holiday weekend comes alive to with a full blown replica of a Caribbean Carnival. It started in 1966 and was organised by the local West Indian community headed by Trinidadian Claudia Jones. There is a steel pan competition on Saturday night, the kiddies carnival on the Sunday, and crowning of the King and Queen. Hundreds of floats and mas (masquerade) bands and sound systems that parade through the streets of West London on the bank holiday Monday. Visitors from around the globe cram the streets, eating food from the hundreds of stalls, dancing and following the various bands on route. Music of all kinds can be found with some streets closed off for parties.