Carnival: comes from the Italian word of carne vale and means something in the lines of  “farewell to meat” which was not eaten during Lent.

The tradition of Carnaval was brought by the Europeans who celebrated this feast during late winter just before the forty day Lent period of fasting and prayer began. According to ethnologists it has elements of old celebrations and cultures and it is said it gave the opportunity to rural societies, dominated by Christianity, to rebel against the sexual repression and formality opposed on them.

Nowadays it has practically nothing to do anymore with rebellion. However it is the perfect opportunity for the people to let go of all the stress and just have a great time!! Carnaval is celebrated in many different ways all through South-America.

The celebrations in Bolivia partially do have a religious background even today. In the city of Oruro Carnaval is celebrated most grandly and they always begin with a special dance called the Devil dance also known as the diablada. This dance is based on the ceremony in which they give thanks to the Pachamama, mother earth. It commemorates the eternal clash between good and evil and it was allowed by the early catholic priest to keep the natives quiet during the conversion by the Catholic Church.

In Peru, Cajamarca is the place to be during Carnaval according to many. They celebrate it with all kinds of different competitions, from best dance to the best queen and spend about nine days of constant partying, eating, singing and dancing. Another important aspect of Peruvian Carnaval is the massive water fights that take place. One of the theories is that the water represents the ritual baths of the farmers. In this ritual water has a masculine identity for it helps makes the earth (la pachamama) more fertile. So if you decide to celibrate carnaval in Peru prepare yourself to get very wet and not only by water as other types of liquids have been spotted….

As for Argentina the great feast is celebrated in different ways throughout the country but not as big as the other countries in Latin America. It is only in 2000 however that the different dancing groups during the parades were officially judged by a jury to improve the quality of the parades. In comparison to other carnavals one can conclude that Argentina is just recently participating in the crazy wonderful world of Carnaval in South-America.

And last but definitely not least you have the great carnaval of Rio de Janeiro which lasts 4 days and is preceded by a whole year of preparations. Every year the exact dates changes and new dances and concepts and themes are invented. It is by far the biggest and wildest way to celebrate Carnaval. Throwing water and mud also are a part of the origins of this feast in Brasil. It is said that back in the days the celebrations were a form of having a good time and which the higher classes celebrated privately in their homes while the poorer classes took to the streets in unplanned and unformed festivities.

Either way, Carnaval is a great feast in all of South America. Come and join if you dare!!….