Top 5 European carnival destinations
Friday, 22nd January 2010
The origins of 'carnival' stem from the practice of having a big feast to finish up meat (carne) before Lent, a period of fasting. In countries such as Spain and Italy this evolved into a major festival with feasts, parties, parades, music and dancing.
Here’s a selection of some of the top carnivals to visit in Europe this year:
1. Carnevale di Venezia, Italy
The Venice Carnival (Carnevale di Venezia) runs from 6th to 16th Feburary 2010 and consists of grand balls, concerts, dances, parades and other events. The participants tend to wear elaborate costumes and masks, and traditionally people would spend a lot of time making their own costumes, though these days many buy them ready-made. With large numbers of visitors descending on Venice for the carnival it can become very crowded, but there is a great atmophere in the city at this time.
2. Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
The Santa Cruz Carnival in Tenerife (Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife) takes place between 12th and 22nd February 2010 and involves parties, feasts, parades, competitions and much more. Among the groups in the parades are the mascarillas, who wears masks; murgas, bands who play satitical songs; comparasas, dance groups; and rondallas, groups of singers. Such groups spend a lot of time preparing for the carnival, practising routines, making costumes and raising funds, and several generations are often involved. One important part of the carnival is the election of a carnival queen, which is shown on television and watched with great anticipation. The highly elaborate queens’ dresses are sponsored by large local companies, and many are so big that they have built-in wheels to allow the queens to move. After the carnival the dresses are often housed in special display rooms in the sponsoring companies’ offices.
3. Le Carnaval de Nice, France
Every February Nice in the south of France holds a major carnival (Le Carnaval de Nice). This features many parades, including les bataille de fleurs (flower battles), as well as a variety of other activities. The costumes and floats are amazing, and those that take place at night at brightly illuminated. This year’s carnival will take place between 12th and 28th February.
4. Düsseldorf Carnival, Germany
Many carnivals and costume balls are held in Düsseldorf between November and February. At the end of January, for example, there is a street carnival, Altweiberfastnacht, in the old town (Altstadt) during which women take over the town hall. In February there is a street carnival in Königsallee, and the Rosenmontagszug (Rose Monday Parade), a big parade through the city centre of floats and people dressed in fancy costumes. There is also much eating, drinking and dancing.
5. Rethymno Carnival, Greece
There is an annual carnival in Rethymno, Crete (Ρεθεμνιώτικο Καρναβάλι) involving parades, parties, fancy costumes, music, dancing, theatre and a treasure hunt. These events take place between 22nd January and 15th February in 2010.
Tags: english, spanish, french, german, italian, festival, spain, france, italy, carnival
Posted by Simon Ager under Experience Cultures,
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