We recently dedicated an entry to Origin of Carnival to go back thousands of years ago and so trace its beginnings and how it has evolved to shape the Best Carnivals of the World from the actuality. Carnival is probably celebrated in your city or neighborhood, but we are sure that we still have a lot to discover about this millennial festival . That is why today in Supercurious we bring you some 20 curiosities of carnival that will surprise you. Keep reading to discover them!
20 Curiosities of Carnival that you will love to know
one . The first of our carnival curiosities is that the word comes from the Italian term "carnevale". Its origin is found in the Latin words "caro" or "carni" which means blood or live flesh, and "levare" whose meaning is to relieve or lift. Given its origin, carnival is an expression that means "to remove the flesh". Another thesis suggests that the second word would actually be "worth" that means goodbye, which is why the word "carnival" means "goodbye to the flesh".
Be that as it may, the expression refers to saying goodbye to meat, given the abstinence and fasting of Lent, so this party seeks to satisfy all the needs of the meat to take it from the mind and dedicate ourselves to the spirit.
two. Part of the carnival curiosities is that there is no exact figure of how many cities or countries celebrate carnival in the world. However, we know that all the western countries of Europe and America, together with some of Africa and Oceania, celebrate this festival and, without intending it in the beginning, compete to offer the best attractions to residents and visitors. The only continent where the carnival is not a really important festival (especially because of its religious customs) is Asia.
3. Although each way of celebrating the carnival is unique and worth enjoying, among the carnival curiosities we tell you that considered the best carnivals in the world are those of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Venice (Italy), Tenerife (Spain), Binche (Belgium), Mardi Gras in New Orleans (United States), Cádiz (Spain), Oruro (Bolivia), Viareggio (Italy), Notting Hill (England) and Quebec (Canada). All these locations have the particularity of receiving more than 1 million visitors during the carnival, some up to 4 million (like Rio de Janeiro).
Four. Given the importance of carnival in Brazil and the transcendence of the drum culture with rhythms such as samba and ax, characteristic of this celebration, Throughout Brazil, clubs and academies of samba have been forming and are being prepared throughout the year with the sole objective of participating in the parades of Rio de Janeiro. That is perseverance and excellence.
5. Have you ever wondered why we disguised ourselves in carnival? The most "modern" reason that has been found to this question (besides those people who disguise themselves for the works or dances that occur in carnival) is that, during the Middle Ages, the Italian nobility used disguises and masks to protect their identity . In this way, they could go down to celebrate the festivities with the people, mixing with the other social classes and quietly enjoying the debauchery.
6 And, although at present the carnival parties are usually celebrated as the stage of liberation and debauchery before the recollection of Lent , the truth is that the reason that is celebrated by these dates is because there were already pagan festivities during this time that celebrated the transition from winter to spring, asking for a good harvest for the next season, as Roman Saturnalia, Dionysian celebrations, etc. This also happened in America and in Africa, which explains the rapid adoption of carnival in these cultures.
7 Earlier we told you as part of the carnival curiosities that in Asia the carnival is not a party too prominent, however, in Japan , in the streets of Tokushima, a festival is celebrated that in practice is very similar to our carnival, it is the Awa Odori, which is carried out in honor of the dead or ancestors, with a duration of four days where yukata parades, concerts and dances are held at free will. A curious similarity, right?
8 Another of the carnival curiosities is that at parties you have probably seen or heard about a character known as Momo, Rey Momo or Dios Momo. We explain it to you: Momo was the God of sarcasm and jokes in Greek mythology , part of the deities that were celebrated in the transition between winter and spring. So the figure of Momo has transcended centuries, continents and cultures, forming an essential part of Latin American carnivals.
9 Around 4.9 million people attend the carnival in Rio de Janeiro each year. Almost 5 million people celebrating in one place! Given the nature of the carnival, the parties of Rio (and the rest of Brazil) often get out of control in the flesh, so that in 2017 the State delivered 77 million condoms during the carnival. One of the most impressive curiosities of carnival.
10 Tenerife is not only one of the biggest, oldest and most famous carnivals in the world, but also has a Guinness record. 250,000 attendees were awarded for concentrating the largest number of people in an open-air plaza , to be exact, during a presentation by Celia Cruz with Billo's Caracas Boys. Incredible!
eleven. Surely this is one of the curiosities of carnival that you did not know. Did you know that although the carnival is celebrated before Lent and is a tradition of Catholic culture, the church does not recognize this celebration? If we think about it, it is quite logical, because the excesses of the carnival are not Christians at all, however, we can not deny the relationship that exists between the Catholic culture and the carnival.
12 The truth is that nobody knows for sure in what year or in what culture the carnival tradition arose , but some indications have been found that could help us to place an estimated date of origin 5,000 years ago, between Sumeria and Egypt: several ancient cultures celebrated a holiday in the transition season between winter and spring, whose moment would be between our current months of February and March; these cultures used to use religious rites to ask the gods for a good harvest.
13 However, one of the main curiosities of carnival is that, although this type of celebrations are millennia old, it is considered that the cradle of carnival as we know it today, with its masks, costumes and dances, is Venice with its medieval celebrations of the eleventh century.
14. In Spanish carnivals we can appreciate some unique customs, such as horseback riding to announce the beginning and end of parties or other more bizarre the burial of the sardine. It is done on Ash Wednesday , ending the festivities with a procession of mourning, watching over the body of a cardboard sardine, with its widows weeping the loss with heartrending cries and people disguised as religious figures, as a mockery of the church, as nuns, popes and bishops who throw blessings (sometimes also accompanied by sexual objects).
fifteen. Carnival is such an important and inclusive celebration that the UNESCO has declared 5 of these celebrations as intangible cultural heritage of humanity , these are the carnival of Binche (Belgium), the carnival of Oruro (Bolivia), the carnival of El Callao (Venezuela), the carnival of Barranquilla (Colombia), the carnival of Drametze (Bhutan) and the carnival of Makishi (Zambia) ).
16 One of the least known carnival curiosities is that There have been several occasions and the characters that tried to prohibit its celebration throughout history . An example of this were the decisions of the kings Felipe II and Felipe IV of Spain (although their ordinances had no greater effect) in order to "preserve the moral and Catholic faith"; as well as the Franco dictatorship of the twentieth century in Spain and the decision Napoleon took to conquer Venice in the eighteenth century for fear of suffering an attack. Today we can say that they did not succeed!
17 Have you asked yourself why carnival falls on different dates each year and what criteria they use to set them ? We have it: from the Council of Nicaea, in 325 AD, it was agreed that the way to calculate when to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus would be celebrating Holy Week the week after the first full moon of spring.
So to obtain the date of the carnival according to the Catholic calendar we would only have to subtract 47 days from the date on which the Passover would be celebrated. Undoubtedly one of the most important curiosities of carnival.
18 Although most carnivals take place around the same dates and have several weeks (or months) of preparation, they all have a different duration: some last two days (like Notting Hill), others last a week (like the most of the Latin American carnivals) and the carnival of Uruguay lasts approximately one and a half months, from the end of January to the beginning of March, considered the longest carnival in the world .
19 In the Latin American carnivals there are some unpleasant customs that were given in the carnivals of Europe during the Middle Ages: there are places where cities and towns are left with deserted streets, because who gets caught walking during carnival It takes a bombshell or a starry egg! Be especially careful with this in South America.
twenty. And what is it that catches our attention the most during carnival parades? Probably your answer is the floats. U.S. too! It turns out that there is a carnival that makes the biggest, sarcastic and unusual carriages that exist: the one in Viareggio , in Italy. Here, moreover, there are caricatures in papier-mâché of famous people from politics and the spectacle that parade along its promenade.
Besides Carnival Curiosities, do not miss ...
Did you like our collection of carnival trivia? Are you even more hungry for curious facts about the carnivals of the world? Collect more carnival trivia in the following list posts dedicated to this great unifying festivity of cultures, nations and, even, continents:
- Venice's Carnival | Everything you need to know about the oldest carnival.
- Carnival phrases that will transmit to you the festive spirit of this tradition.
As you can see, the carnival is a conglomeration of festivities that have transcended centuries, religions and cultures with a single goal that all people like: having fun. Tell us Do you know some other carnival curiosities? Where will you celebrate the carnival this year? What do you like most about this holiday? Tell us in the comments! We will love discovering it!