Carnival season

The Brazilian Carnival (Carnaval do Brasil) is held annually in Brazil 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. In Catholic Brazil, carnival, which is supposedly derived from the pagan Saturnalia, is considered an act of farewell to the joys of the flesh. Carnival is the largest and most popular Brazilian holiday.

The Belgian Carnival of Binche is the most popular folk festival in Belgium. The carnival in the city of Binche begins before Lent, 49 calendar days before Easter. Carnaval de Binche has a long history: it was first held in 1934. The festival is included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. The carnival begins on Sunday (“Fat Sunday”) - festival participants walk through the streets in folk costumes to the beat of drums and the sound of barrel organs.

Fastnacht or Fasching is a carnival that takes place throughout Germany every year in February. Preparations for the festival begin in November: on November 11 at 11:11 a.m., the first meetings of carnival participants begin and the beginning of the fifth season of the year, the carnival, is officially announced. The first day of the carnival is celebrated by women who dress up as witches and fairwomen. The main event of the carnival is Rosenmontag - a carnival procession that ends in the main square of the city with a concert. It is known that the first carnival was held in Munich back in 1295.

Italian "battle of the oranges" every year takes place over three days during the festive carnival in the city of Ivrea in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. The "Battle of the Oranges" has been celebrated since the 19th century in honor of ordinary Italians who fought against tyrant feudal lords in the 12th-13th centuries. Thousands of people take part in the carnival, divided into 9 groups of "Aranceri" (orange tamers).

The Venice Carnival is one of the oldest and most popular costume festivals in the world. The carnival was first mentioned in 1094. However, masks began to be worn at the carnival only from the end of the 14th century. Wearing masks has been in fashion for a long time: some Venetians wore them for as long as six months - from August to Lent. Masks were banned in 1703 due to the rise of brothels. The decision was met with hostility and was canceled the following year. Approximately three million people come to Venice every year for Carnival.

Carnival on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago has a rich history and is usually ranked right after the Brazilian carnival. It lasts five days before the beginning of Lent. A distinctive feature of the festival is Afro-Caribbean calypso music and the so-called steelbands - steel drum orchestras. Preparations for the carnival begin in September. On the first day of the carnival, a calypso king and queen are chosen. The climax of the carnival comes on the night from Saturday to Sunday - this is Panorama, a competition of “steel orchestras”. Panorama takes place at the Grand Stand in Trinidad's capital, Port of Spain. The drums beat all night non-stop throughout the city.