A lot of time has passed since the days when people dressed in scary costumes chased away winter by creating shacks, but the desire to brighten up the gray winter days has not disappeared. On the contrary, the reason for rejoicing has spread all over the world, even to hot tropical places. The holiday season has become the fifth season, the time when we throw away our worries and forget about the boring everyday life. Whether the reason for the Bakus carnival was the harsh winter, the desire to hide one's identity or something else, it doesn't matter today, the important thing is that during the carnival there is paradise all over the world.
Venice, Italy
The Venetian enthusiasm for hiding behind masks has its roots deep in the Middle Ages, when anonymity in a strict caste system was necessary for anyone who, in a crowded city where everyone knew each other, liked to indulge in immoral pleasures. The wearing of masks was widespread and permitted at various times of the year and on various occasions, which was not to the liking of the Church, which restricted the custom until it became easiest to determine the periods when masks could be worn. Time from the end of December until Ash Wednesday, called carnival, became a time of fun, pleasures and masks. When the French entered Venice, the custom was banned, and despite occasional attempts and private parties, the carnival was revived only in 1979 by enterprising tourist workers, eager to make money in the rainy and cold part of the year. Carnival in Venice the nearest public settlement of mass proportions to us, as it is visited annually by more than three million visitors. Although this year's carnival officially started already on January 31, the main events are taking place between February 7 and 17. Last year, in addition to the overcrowded St. Mark's Square, events also began to be organized in the former Arsenal, where shows, concerts, theater events and dinner with the performance Tentazioni, which will also be the only event for which visitors will have to pay, a whopping 200 euros. The most visited event is definitely the selection of the best costumes, which takes place every day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in St. Mark's Square, and the grand finale and the announcement of the most beautiful costumes are scheduled for Sunday, February 16.
www.carnevale.venezia.it
Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Islands
The festival, which is celebrated in Europe during the coldest part of the year, is damn hot in the Caribbean. In the small island nation that sits on two islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Carnival is the biggest event of the year, and for islanders it is a rule that they spend the year preparing for birth and reminiscing about Carnival afterwards. After the Spanish colonization, the island was inhabited by nations from all over the world, which is also reflected in the island's music, which a mix of European, African and Indian influences. In the eighteenth century, the French brought their culture, customs and carnival, in form luxurious dances in masks, which slaves were not allowed to attend. Imitation of ladies' dances, to which they added their own rituals and folklore, gave birth to one of the most colorful and well-known carnivals. Officially, there are two carnival days, Carnival Monday and Tuesday, carnival time but it starts right after Christmas. How seriously the inhabitants take the main two carnival days is shown by the fact that the first party, called J'Ouvert it starts as early as 4 a.m. on Monday, and from dawn to dusk the streets are flooded with processions of colorful costumes, musicians, dancers and, of course, an ecstatic crowd.
www.gotrinidadandtobago.com
River, Croatia
The river was known for its carnival life hundreds of years ago, when masked dances and parades were enjoyed by the Austrian and Hungarian nobility, Russian princesses, German barons and counts from all over Europe. The ancient tradition was revived by the Kvarner capital in 1982. A series of processions, "fests", competitions, exhibitions and concerts based on old carnival customs, with elements of the Venetian and Austrian city carnivals, began on St. Anthony's Day, January 17, with the raising of the carnival flag. We can't imagine Kvarner's carnival events and especially the haunting of winter without them "bell ringers", which strongly resemble our Slovenian curents. Dressed in a navy striped shirt, with a scary mask and unusually large cow bells, they are the most characteristic carnival group that sends fear into the bones of many a visitor. It is the peak of the Rijeka carnival international carnival parade, which is a reflection of a centuries-old tradition as well as a parody of the current political and social situation, when the main Korzo street in Rijeka walks of more than ten thousand participants in thematic groups from many European countries.
www.rijecki-karneval.hr
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
The city that earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records during the 1987 Carnival for the most people gathered at one event, more than 250,000, deserves to be twinned with Rio, Brazil, because the number one party in both cities is the right time carnival.
The parade on the streets of the capital of the largest of the Canary Islands will begin February 11 at 9:30 p.m with the selection of the carnival queen, continued with the Friday parade and ended on Ash Wednesday, when the tired residents will say goodbye to the carnival in a comical procession called "burying a sardine". But the party will not end, because the weekend after the end of the carnival, there will be great revelry again at the party called Piñata. Even during the dictatorship, when carnival parties were banned in Spain, the tradition of carnival, which dates back to the beginning of the 17th century in Tenerife, was continued in Santa Cruz, and today tickets for the most important events, such as selection of the carnival queen and the final competition of Adults in "murgah" (musical theater), sold out in one hour. Each year the performers also have a theme that they must follow, this year's theme is the future.
carnavaldetenerife.com
Cologne, Germany
It is not clear how long winter-chasing parties have been organized in Germany, but it is clear that in 1823 the Prussian authorities decided to establish "Festordendes Komitee", who dictated the rules of behavior at street carnival parties. This year, Cologne also celebrated in an organized manner for the first time "Rosenmontag" - Rose Monday, whose motto was the enthronement of the carnival king. In the years that followed, the traditions and customs of the Koln Carnival were born. The fifth season is already starting in the city 11. 11. at 11.11, and the craziest days of Carnival begin on the Thursday before Carnival weekend with Ladies' Carnival Day, and culminate on Carnival or "Rose" Monday with official parade, which starts at 10:30 a.m. and is attended by more than a million costumed participants. Battle cries echo throughout the city throughout the day "Kölle Alaaf", which means "long live Cologne". The party, in various parts of the city, continues on Tuesday and ends on Ash Wednesday, when the tired "survivors" treat the cat with fish soup. It was opened in 2005 for all those who cannot come to Cologne during the carnival season Carnival Museum, which shows the history and development of Carnival in Europe.
www.koelnerkarneval.de
READ MORE: 9 "scariest" holidays in the world
New Orleans, United States of America
What carnival is, what it's called and when it starts are understood differently in different parts of the world. It is the most in the USA the carnival city of New Orleans, where the carnival period begins on January 6, and the highlight is the party on Shrove Tuesday, called Mardi Gras. Like most American traditions, the beginnings of Mardi Gras can be traced back to medieval Europe, through Rome, Venice and France, in the 17th and 18th centuries to the French ruling family of the Bourbons, during which time New Orleans was founded. Already in the thirties of the 18th century, carnival was celebrated in New Orleans with elegant and luxurious dances. In 1872, a group of entrepreneurs introduced the king Rex Carnival, and in honor of the then guest, the Russian Grand Duke Romanov, purple, green and gold, the colors of the Romanov dynasty, were chosen as the official colors of the carnival. Purple represents justice, gold represents power, and green represents faith. In 1875, the governor of Louisiana declared Shrove Tuesday an official holiday, which remains to this day. Tourists usually gather on Shrove Tuesday in the French Quarter, especially on Bourbon Street, but the most important events take place along Avenue St. Charles and Canal Street, along which bands called parade "krewes", on huge vehicles called "floats" and throw "thorws", all kinds of plastic coins, "garlands" and stuffed animals into the crowd. The parade is the main attraction of the street carnival, but those with deeper pockets prefer to attend dances featuring the most famous names in the world of entertainment.
kreweofbacchus.org
www.mardigrasneworleans.com
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The carnival of all carnivals takes place in the "wonderful city" of Rio de Janeiro. During the carnival, no deals are made, children are on vacation, those who don't like weeks (or more) of non-stop revelry leave town, and everyone eagerly awaits the craziest days of the year. "I'll be carnival" (a good carnival). There is no official start of Carnival in Rio, parties and street parades have been lined up since the beginning of the year. In a society that is "strongly" Catholic, Carnival is taken "strongly" seriously. The origin of the word is Latin, carne vale, and means goodbye to meat. But before it is given up during Lent, there is a time when all brakes fall. Beautiful bodies in fantasy costumes swaying to samba rhythms are seen only by a handful of Rio residents, called Carioce, as the tickets are on Sambodormo, the stadium where the samba school competition takes place, extremely expensive. But in Rio, there are no obstacles to having fun, because in the days from Good Friday to Ash Wednesday, more than eight hundred street parties organized by various groups take place in the city. On some so-called "blocks", especially on processions of Cordão da Bola Preta, thousands of people gather, others are smaller, limited to just one street. Street parties are intended for everyone, especially those who want really top-notch entertainment, good (and loud) music, large quantities of beer and making new friends.
www.cordaodabolapreta.com
