15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World
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Carnival, Carnevale, Karneval – different places may spell it differently, but one thing holds true almost everywhere: it’s one heck of a good time. If you can’t get to Rio, Venice or New Orleans this Carnival season, try one of these lesser-known destinations where tradition and mischief collide.
By Jessica Keller
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Prague, Czech Republic:
Prague, Czech Republic: Prague never does anything halfway – and that certainly goes for its annual Bohemian bacchanal. The avenues are buzzing with parades and masked processions, while elegant masquerade parties convene in museums, galleries, theatres and schools. Also a cultural fete, visitors will find food for the mind and body at operatic performances, Baroque music concerts and banquets bursting with local delicacies.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Ivrea, Italy:
Ivrea, Italy: It’s a tale as old as time, “commoners wage war against oppressive regime”, only in this particular case, the weapon of choice is oranges. Commemorating a medieval battle against an evil Ivrean lord, teams of townspeople armed with citrus battle it out against horse-drawn carts of “imperial soldiers”, who get the worst juicing by far. Orange you glad you’re not one of them?
2/16
15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Vilanova, Spain:
Vilanova, Spain: Vilanovins are known across Catalonia for their proclivity for partying – but they must have a hearty sweet tooth as well. Two of the main events in this week-long debauch are the Sweet Wars, when rival groups pelt each other with candy, and the Merengada, when sticky globs of meringue are hurled left and right at any moving target all day long. Parades and balls are held throughout the week, with many participants donning satirical costumes that depict local politicians and public figures.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Oruro, Bolivia:
Oruro, Bolivia: With roots going back more than 200 years, this festival has earned a place among UNESCO’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The tradition? A blend between Catholic and indigenous customs, including a 3-day, 3-night parade encompassing 48 folk dance groups performing 18 different dances. The highlight? La Diablada, which sees dancing devils take over the streets.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Binche, Belgium:
Binche, Belgium: Another UNESCO-anointed institution, Carnaval de Binche sees the town overrun with a thousand “Gilles” – characters sporting iconic yellow, red and black tunics, wax masks and/or elaborate hats with ostrich plumes. The Gilles dance to drums while shaking sticks meant to ward off evil spirits on Shrove Tuesday, then lob oranges at gleeful spectators happy to catch this symbol of the coming spring.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Rottweil, Germany:
Rottweil, Germany: The high point of “Fasnet”, as Carnival is known here, is the Narrensprung parade on Shrove Monday, when masked townspeople pour from the medieval city gate, dancing and stopping to tell tales to bystanders – or harass them with perfumed cow’s tails. It’s all very structured, right down to the parade characters’ roles, enacted according to traditions nearly 400 years old. Not so structured? The nightly parties held in temporary bars called Besen (brooms) that “pop up” just for Fasnet and can be identified by the brooms hanging over the entryways.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Quebec City, Canada:
Quebec City, Canada: Every year the Québécois host their annual Quebec Winter Carnival and invite the season’s longest visitors, snow and ice, to be the guests of honour at the festival’s main activities, like ice sculpting, dogsledding, sleigh races and the formidable Snow Bath. Night parades, an amusement park and plenty of Canadian cuisine make this a fabulous choice for celebrating Carnival with the whole family.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Barranquilla, Colombia:
Barranquilla, Colombia: This already vibrant city becomes even more alive at Carnival, when buildings are hung with flowers and music – mostly of the Colombian-born cumbia and mapalé varieties – pulses from every corner, window and passing bus. Everyone takes to the streets for cavalcades, dancing and all-around revelry in a party that rivals even that of legendary Rio.
8/16
15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Avilés, Spain:
Avilés, Spain: You’d better come in fancy dress, but forget those boring cowboy and clown costumes – here, locals like to get a little more creative. Merrymaking mattresses, toothbrushes and pop culture icons are out in full force for parades, fancy dress competitions and getting hosed down with foam by the fire brigade on Calle Galiana. On Ash Wednesday, the end of the festivities is signalled when the effigy of a sardine is paraded through the streets and burned.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Nadur, Malta:
Nadur, Malta: Often referred to as an “alternative Carnival”, celebrations in Nadur are both impulsive and somewhat macabre, with residents donning grotesque masks and spooky makeup before taking to the streets for spontaneous processions and some delightfully disorganised carousing.
10/16
15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago:
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Caribbean plus Carnival equals one doozy of a party. Feast your eyes on the most colourful costumes you’v ever seen, and your palate on the world’s best rum, while shaking it to steel pan music all day and night. Be sure to brush up on your wining – not the liquid kind, rather the impressive gyrating dance that predates twerking.
11/16
15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Galaxidi, Greece:
Galaxidi, Greece: This rather sleepy resort town turns into a shake-and-bake romp come Carnival season; to the obligatory programme of drinking and dancing, Galaxidians have added a heavy dose of flour, which is distributed to revellers for one of the world’s biggest food fights and epic parties, bread shortages notwithstanding.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Dunkerque, France:
Dunkerque, France: Bedlam abounds in this northern French port city, when nearly every man, woman and child dances in the streets, decked out in all manner of absurdity, faces painted and carrying umbrellas of unbelievable proportions, joined by 8-metre puppets that float above the mayhem. The festivities date to the 17th century, when ship owners would host feasts for the fishermen before they headed off to sea. Today, bands dressed in yellow sou’westers pay homage to the fishermen as they march through town, playing for crowds who roar their approval when the music is good.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Goa, India:
Goa, India: Though Carnival heritage here can be traced back to the times of Catholic Portuguese colonisation, it’s now a Goan celebration through and through. The fun kicks off with a food and culture festival, most notably marked by a cooking competition, and continues with dancing, music and processions featuring Momo, King of Chaos, leading his band of acrobats, fire breathers and clowns.[Photo: Andy Weisner/Wikimedia Commons]
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
Viareggio, Italy:
Viareggio, Italy: Already done Venice? Make your way to Viareggio. Legend has it the festivities began when an event for dignitaries was crashed by locals dressed as the dignitaries themselves, in an effort to satirise (and embarrass) them. The tradition lives on in Viareggio’s monumental parades, where intricate floats – many several storeys high and mechanically operated – glide through town for millions of spectators, both live and on TV. Come nightfall, masquerade parties are the places to see and be seen.
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15 Unusual Carnival Celebrations From Around The World.
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