As old as Sumeria and the Egypt of the pharaohs, The origin of the Carnival is pagan and has evolved through the centuries not only to join the culture of Catholic societies, but also to be part of the idiosyncrasies of hundreds of countries around the world.
The Carnival, in addition to a tradition of the western part of the planet, is a festival that unites cultures, religions and nations, so today in Supercurious we bring you a special dedicated to the origin of Carnival. Keep reading to find out what is the origin of this celebration and how it has evolved through the millennia!
The origin of Carnival: the birth of a millenary tradition
The truth is that nobody knows for sure in what year or in what culture the Carnival tradition arose , but social scientists have found some indications that could help us locate an estimated date of origin:
- Several ancient cultures celebrated a Party in the season of transition 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 to give them a good harvest for the coming season.
- The festivity used to last several days, where the social classes and the identities of the people did not matter : the really important was to venerate the gods and celebrate their participation in the future harvest, because if the land was fertile it would be a prosperous year for all people.
1. The first people to celebrate the carnival
Thus, it is estimated that One of the first cultures to celebrate carnival-like parties we know today would be Sumerian and ancient Egypt , in honor of the bull god Apis, more than 5,000 years ago. Did you imagine this when you played throwing water bombs in the schoolyard? This tradition would later be transferred to other cultures, both African and European, expanding the celebration.
Later, Greek culture would also celebrate similar holidays in honor of the god of wine , Dionysius, which are known as "Dionysian celebrations" that, given the character of the deity, used to be a bit uncontrolled, where people were disinhibited from morality. This would continue like this, inheriting the celebration to the Roman Empire, in honor to the same deity but well-known with another name: Baco (and its bacchanalian parties).
But nevertheless, the Romans also celebrated other festivals to another deity during this time, the saturnalia, in honor of the god Saturn , to ask him to stop roaming the land (which he did in winter) and give them time to sow a fruitful harvest; this is explained because Saturn was the god of agriculture in Roman mythology, while it was known as Cronos, the titan of time, in Greek mythology.
2. The evolution of the origin of the carnival: from the pagan to the Christian
As we already know what happened in the story after the birth of Jesus, Roman culture and mythology were disappearing little by little from day to day giving way to Christianity and, as the main exponent of this, Catholicism . Although the carnival is not recognized by the Catholic Church (neither the Roman nor the Orthodox one) it is very linked to the culture of the Catholic community due to its closeness to Lent, even today defining the day when the carnival ends on Wednesday of ash, Catholic tradition with which we are reminded that " we are dust and we will become dust. "
Lent is that period of recollection, repentance of sins and, even, fasting, during which Practicing Catholics remember the 40 days and events that preceded the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross . During this season there are some restrictions such as not eating meat but fish (so as not to "eat" the flesh of Christ) or not drinking alcohol.
So that, the origin of the carnival was propitious to have a few days of lack of control in which to free oneself from moral ties before starting with the 40-day time of dedication to the purification of the soul to receive the sacrifice of Christ free from sin. While before the use of masks and costumes was part of the pagan celebrations to honor their deities, now this was a tool to hide the identity and have fun "without consequences". This grabbed a special boom during the Middle Ages, where the carnivals of Venice became famous.
3. Carnival in America
As time went by and European civilizations came into contact with the new world, they also became infected with each other: It turned out that the original cultures of America also celebrated parties during the transition from winter to spring, so the adaptation of the carnival to these cultures was immediate . So much so that, even, a distinctive figure of the Latin American carnival is the King Momo , considered king of the carnival, being Momo, originally, the Greek god of jokes, a figure practically forgotten in the European carnivals.
In conclusion, Carnival is one of the most universal and characteristic festivities of Western culture , there are many variants of celebrations of carnivals in the world with many curiosities typical of each region, which give a touch of distinction to the way of celebrating these holidays in each country.
Nowadays the centenaries are maintained Venice carnivals but celebrations of this style have also been highlighted in cities such as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil , Cádiz in Spain, Bechin in Belgium, Notting Hill in England , New Orleans in the US, Oruro in Bolivia, or Quebec in Canada. How great it would be to celebrate the carnival in a different place every year. Can you imagine it? Meanwhile, in Supercurioso we tell you all the information you need about this holiday and we encourage you to plan your next carnival to enjoy them to the fullest. Keep reading!
Besides the Origin of Carnival, do not miss ...
Are you even more hungry for curiosities about the carnival? Gather more curious facts such as the origin of the carnival, in the following list of posts dedicated to this great unifying festivity of cultures, nations and, even, continents:
- Read our selection on Best Carnivals in the world .
- Entertain discovering some Carnival phrases .
- Or know some of the Carnival Curiosities around the world.
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 Did you already know what the origin of the carnival was? Do you know any other interesting information about the origin of the carnival? Tell us in the comments! We will love discovering it!