Carnaval

Carnival is celebrated in the days before Ash Wednesday, culminating on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), which falls 47 days before Easter Sunday. This places Carnival between early February and early March, with the date shifting each year.

Carnival (Carnaval) is a festive pre-Lenten celebration featuring parades, masquerades, music, and dancing. The name derives from the Latin 'carne vale' (farewell to meat), reflecting the Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat during Lent. The most famous celebrations take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and New Orleans, USA.

Carnival is celebrated in Brazil, Italy, Germany, the United States (New Orleans), Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Venezuela, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. Rio de Janeiro's Carnival is the world's largest, attracting millions of visitors annually.

Carnival is a public holiday in Brazil, where the three days of Carnival before Ash Wednesday are national holidays. In some European countries and Caribbean nations, Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday may be a school holiday but not a statutory public holiday.

Carnival traditions include elaborate street parades with samba dancers and floats, wearing costumes and masks, attending masked balls, listening to live music, and feasting before the Lenten period of fasting. In Venice, the Carnival of Venice is known for its ornate historical masks and elegant balls.