Carnival facts for kids

Carnival in Rome, 1650

Carnival is a big public party that happens in many cities and towns around the world. It usually takes place in February or March each year. Carnival can last for a few weeks, or sometimes it's just one day of celebration. You'll often see street parades, bands playing music, people wearing fun costumes, and lots of masks. Carnival is connected to old religious traditions from the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and also to local customs.

What is Carnival?
- Lent and Easter
- Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday
  - About Pieter Bruegel's Painting
Carnival Celebrations Today
Different Meanings of "Carnival"
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

What is Carnival?

Men in the Carnival of the Dominican Republic carry whips as a sign of punishment for bad choices.

Lent and Easter

Many Christian churches have a special 40-day time called Lent. During Lent, people prepare for Easter, which is one of the most important Christian holidays (the other is Christmas). Easter happens in late March or April.

Lent always starts on a Wednesday in February or March, called Ash Wednesday. On this day, some people go to church and have a little ash put on their forehead. This is a sign that they are thinking about their past mistakes and want to make better choices. For the next 40 days, they try to improve themselves and think about the teachings of Jesus.

It's common for people to "give up" something for Lent. They might stop watching TV to spend more time with family, or give up favorite foods like cake, chocolate, or ice cream.

The word "carnivale" comes from Italian and means "putting aside the flesh." This means that during Lent, people focused less on their bodies and more on their souls. "Flesh" also means "meat," so many people would not eat meat during Lent.

Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday

The Gilles parade through Binche in Belgium.

Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday." This is the day right before Lent begins. The first day of Lent used to be called "Mean Wednesday," meaning "thin" or "poor."

In the Middle Ages in Europe, people would have a huge feast on the Tuesday before Lent started. In many towns, this turned into a big public party with entertainment in the town square. There's a famous painting from the 1550s by Pieter Bruegel called "The Battle of Carnival and Lent."

About Pieter Bruegel's Painting

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Battle of Carnival and Lent.

In this painting by Pieter Bruegel, you can see a man who represents Carnival. He is being pushed on a barrel by people in costumes and masks. He's about to "battle" Lent. His weapon is a stick with roasted meat, and he has a pie on his head. Lent, who looks very thin, fights him with two small fish on a breadboard. The person in front wears a mask and plays a loud instrument called a rummelpott.

Carnival Celebrations Today

Two elegantly dressed figures at the Carnival of Venice

Today, many cities and towns worldwide celebrate Carnival for a week or more. The last day of the celebration is often Mardi Gras, which usually has a big parade. In some cities, the Mardi Gras parade happens on the weekend before Lent, so it doesn't interrupt daily life.

In towns like Binche in Belgium, preparing for Carnival is a huge event that starts many weeks ahead of time. Most people in the town get involved. The Carnival of Binche is so important that UNESCO has listed it as a historic event because it has been celebrated in almost the same way for over 500 years!

Carnival is celebrated differently around the world, but some things are often similar:

People love dressing up in fun costumes, often with masks.
There's usually a street parade with people and musicians. You might also see floats, which are big, decorated vehicles.
Often, there are loud noises, bright colors, and sometimes scary faces. These are traditionally meant to scare away bad spirits while people are preparing for Lent. Performers wear masks so that these spirits don't know who they are.

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which has one of the biggest and most famous Carnivals, a main part of the celebration is the amazing costumes. Both men and women wear bright colors and wonderful headdresses as they dance down the street to the sound of many bands. Rio's Carnival also features many very large and expensive decorated floats.

A high school band in the Carnival parade in New Orleans

The Barranquilla's Carnival in Colombia is another huge carnival. UNESCO has called it a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity."

In New Orleans, USA, the bands are a very important part of the Carnival celebrations. In Düsseldorf, Germany, the Carnival parades are known for their enormous models of politicians and other well-known people. In Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Mardi Gras started as a parade for a specific community and now includes shows, theater, and competitions over two weeks.

In Venice, Italy, Carnival used to be celebrated from December 26 until Lent. During this time, people could wear masks to hide their identity in the street. This was stopped in the 1930s, but in 1980, a mask-makers shop opened again in Venice. Soon, the old tradition came back, and now many people dress up and wear masks for two weeks before Lent.

In Brussels, Belgium, the main Carnival parade happens in the Grande Place, which is the town square in front of the amazing Gothic Town Hall. Every part of the parade follows old traditions, some of which are so old that no one remembers what they mean anymore! The parade starts with a group of people in beautiful silk and velvet costumes. They act out a historic scene from 500 years ago, showing the King of Spain and his royal court arriving in Brussels. After they take their seats, an amazing procession follows. It includes stilt walkers, fire eaters, Goldilocks with a dancing bear, a mad camel, a wizard, many men in huge feathery headdresses, and the Archangel Michael, whose job is to scare the Devil. These characters are special to Brussels. In every city, the characters in the Carnival are different!

Different Meanings of "Carnival"

A carnival float from the Netherlands

Even though "carnival" still has its old meaning, it's now often used for different kinds of public entertainment. Some towns have carnivals that have nothing to do with Lent and happen at different times of the year.

Today, there are all sorts of carnivals. Some are very famous, like the Notting Hill Carnival in London or the Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival in Australia.

The word "carnival" is now used for many types of festivals, parades, and competitions. You might hear about school sports carnivals, folk carnivals, multi-cultural carnivals, horse-racing carnivals, wine and food carnivals, and even boating carnivals!

Images for kids

Rio's carnival is the largest in the world according to Guinness World Records.
The traditional carnival of Acireale, Sicily
Carnival on Ice at the Kipdorppoort Moats in Antwerp, c. 1620
Carnival in Venice, by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, 1750
A typical mask worn at the Venice Carnival, which portrays the satirical and exaggerated appearances often used.
Riderless Racers at Rome by Théodore Géricault. From the mid-15th century until 1882, spring carnival in Rome closed with a horse race. Fifteen to 20 riderless horses, originally imported from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, ran the length of the Via del Corso, a long, straight city street, in about 21⁄2 minutes.
Carnival in Argentina by school children
Recife Carnival, in the capital city of the State of Pernambuco, Recife
Carnival circuit of the city of Salvador
Carnival in Rincon (Bonaire) (2018)
The Blacks and Whites' Carnival in Pasto
Traditional cojuelo mask of the Dominican carnival in La Vega, Dominican Republic.
Carnival parade in Latacunga city.
Party in Latacunga city.
Four touloulous
Two Queens, representing Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo, standing on a float
A culeco
Morenada dance, in the Carnival of Juliaca – Peru
Masqueraders chipping on Carnival Tuesday in Port of Spain during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
The Carnival King costume for a particular band
Revelers on Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, 2006
Afro-Uruguayans gathering for a Candombe celebration, ca. 1870
Panaji locals participating at the Goan Carnival, late 20th century
Foreign tourist revellers at the modern Goan Carnival, 2005
Long-Né and Longuès-Brèsses (Malmedy)
Giant Joker of Maaseik in 2013
Venetian Mask 2016
Carnival in Donetsk, Ukraine, 2010
Main square in Rijeka during Carnival
"Pirates" during Carnival in Čakovec
"Coprnice" (Witches) from Međimurje County, Northern Croatia
Masopust masks in Czech Republic, 2013
The 2016 Helsinki Samba Carnaval in Helsinki, Finland
Carnival in Paris, 2015.
Carnival in Mainz, Germany.
Reitenderle, der Grundholde, Hudelmale, Schnarragagges; popular Fasnet characters from Kisslegg im Allgäu, Swabia
From the Monstercorso on Güdisdienstag's evening in Lucerne (2009)
The float of the King Carnival parading in Patras, Greece
Ladies on their way to the historic Bourboulia ball in Patras, Greece wearing the dómino costumes unique to that ball.
The Busójárás in Hungary
This Venetian tradition is most famous for its distinctive masks.
The Battle of the Oranges at the carnival of Ivrea
Carnival procession in Valletta on Malta
Carnival in Valletta, Malta
Sesimbra Carnival, Portugal
A dancer in the Carnival of Madeira, on the island's capital Funchal
Ovar Carnival, Portugal
Boris Kustodiev's painting of Maslenitsa
Kurentovanje in Ptuj, 2019
The Burial of the Sardine, Francisco Goya, c. 1812
A choir singing in the Carnival of Cádiz
Vidalot is the last night of revelry before Ash Wednesday in Vilanova. Water color painting by Brad Erickson.
The Ball de Malcasats (Dance of the Mismatched Couples) is a satiric talking-dance traditional to Carnaval in Vilanova.
"Ploranyeres" weep for the death of His Majesty and the loss of pleasure.
Donkeys of Solsona, hung in the tower bell.