Discovering the Magic of ‘Carnaval’ in Brazil
A Personal Journey
It's Carnaval in Brazil now!!!
The words “CARNAVAL” in Brazil and “CARNIVAL” in the USA, according to the ‘Grande Enciclopédia Larousse Cultural,’ both stem from medieval Latin.
There were terms like “carnelevare,” “carnelevarium,” “carnilevaria,” and “carnilevamen,” which means “to abstain from meat” or “to remove meat,” referring to the eve of Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the period of meat abstinence.
Carnaval is renowned as the country’s grandest celebration, drawing millions of visitors each year
In Brazilian culture, few events rival the liveliness and scale of Carnaval. We often boast that it’s the Greatest Show on Earth… Whether that’s entirely true or not, we Brazilians are certainly loud and proud about it.
The celebration takes place during the four days preceding Ash Wednesday. This year, the official parade dates are set for February 12th and 13th, but the excitement typically kicks off as early as February 9th — coincidentally, also my birthday!
The festivities span an entire week, with countless events happening and most establishments either closing early or not opening at all — except for the bars, of…
