Around the world in 7 carnivals

The martedi grasso (‘fat Tuesday’), referring to the last banquet celebrated before the period of fasting and abstinence, gives its name to the mythical Mardi Gras of New Orleans. A parade of floats where the mysterious imagination of Louisiana plays a leading role and where the troupes (krewes) throw out tonnes of necklaces with plastic beads and take to the streets of the city. The famous, picturesque French Quarter does not form part of the route, as its streets are too narrow, but the area overflows with music, masks and an unforgettable atmosphere during these days.

One hundred years ago, the French town of Menton was the main lemon producer on the European continent. To attract and entertain tourists in the winter, an hotelier had the great idea of organising an exhibition of citrus fruits and flowers that was the beginning of what today has become one of the most curious carnivals in Europe. The peculiarity that makes it unique is the amazing collection of floats and sculptures covered in citrus fruits, mainly lemons and oranges, which invade the Bioves gardens, turning them into a spellbinding world of yellows and oranges. At the end of the festival, which has a different topic every year, the fruit is sold off at low prices.

Dressed with costumes and masks that pay tribute to their sacred animals, such as the hippopotamus, the hammerhead shark or the bull, the participants of the carnival on the Bissagos Islands dance to the rhythm of drums and bamboo instruments; elaborate dances that have remained unaltered during centuries. The festival is held on many of the eighty-eight islets that make up the archipelago, but it is particularly spectacular in the capital, Bissau, where the ethnic majorities compete with parades that allow the authenticity and mysticism of the ancient traditions to be enjoyed.   

British reserve turns into Caribbean abandon every year in London when the weekend of the Notting Hill Carnival arrives which, unlike all the other carnivals around the world, takes place in August. The massive celebration fills this London district with boisterous parades, dances and cultural diversity over two days, the first more devoted to families and the second, a much wilder celebration. Over a million Britons and tourists visit this event every year, which the British Afro-Caribbean community has been organising since the 1960s to vindicate their rich cultural heritage. 

All the figures evoked by the most famous Carnival in the world are overwhelming: 5 million visitors; up to 5,000 dancers from each large samba school and no less than 77 million condoms, which the authorities have given out in recent editions to tackle the craziness of the celebration. Without any doubt, the most outstanding event of the festival is the parade around the Carioca Sambodrome that takes place over five evenings. Every night six samba schools perform in performances that last just over an hour and offer what could be considered the greatest show in the world.

What in other places is a burst of sensuality, in Venice is elegance, mystery and glamour. It is one of the oldest carnivals on the planet and, along with Rio, the most mythical in common fantasy. And the fact is that there is no city that can compete as a stage with the Serenissima, where the participants parade through its squares, alleyways and canals. They do this dressed in outfits inspired by aristocratic garments from the 17th century, many of them very elaborately made and with the beautiful masks that have become a symbol of the city.

Two decades have passed since the UNESCO proclaimed the Barranquilla Carnival as oral and intangible World Heritage, acknowledging its role as a promoter of the cultural wealth of the Colombian Caribbean. The celebration, which brings together over two million participants every year, moves to the rhythm of ‘merecumbé’, cumbias and salsa and its costumes inspired by the animals that inhabit the region’s rich mythology stand out, such as the magical jaguar or the alligator-man. The queen of the carnival, the Momo king and the black ‘bollongas’ – street hawkers with hats full of fruit and buns on their heads, are other characters that are always visible at this event.