¡CARNAVAL!

Bienvenidos a una celebración loca y famosa del mundo. . . Welcome to a crazy and famous world celebration.  Let the gluttony of the world begin.


Yes, this is "carnaval" - en español (Car-nah-vahl) - or, as many American's know it - Mardi Gras.

Carnaval is an incredible celebration not only for its history but also because if it's wide-spread reach around the world.  For those of you who don't know, Mardi Gras is not the biggest festival.  In fact, it is far from it.  The biggest celebration is  . . . drum roll please . . . Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Here, hundreds of thousands of people line the two-mile long strip to see two days worth of crazy celebrations and one of the biggest parades in the world.  The stadium seating holds a plethora of people, and the sky lights up with flashing lights and fireworks.  

And . . . everyone does a little "samba", as the music begins.  Granted, it is all in Portuguese, but a little thing like a language barrier never stopped anyone from having a good time at a party (think, Oktoberfest).  Dancers, musicians, and parade workers all bedazzle themselves before strutting down the parade's line.  Even parade goers don't pass up the opportunity to throw their cares to the wind and put on a crazy costume or face paint, or just take a 2-day break from reality.  

And the parade is a sight to behold.  There are more colors and shiny objects than the inside of a confetti filled balloon or piñata.  Although, I must admit, as much as I love dancing, I'm not sure I'd be too secure in one of those dancers' costumes.  If you google carnaval dancers you will see there is often little besides two small bedazzled jewels up top and some string down below.  . . . But there are a LOT of feathers and head-dresses / masks going on!  And all of this before the 40 days of "oooh, I think I'm supposed to be giving up something" (aka Lent) starts.  For some of these people, I imagine it takes 40 days just to detox from the experience!  Although . . . come to think of it . . . ok, just kidding.  :-)


Again, fabulous festival, and I hope you are all enjoying the festivities that embody Carnaval, whether you are christian or not.  Every deserves a chance to party every now and again!