Carnaval en France et à Trinidad et Tobago

A parade

Carnival is a festival which is known by everyone in France. Carnival is always on Tuesday, it is called « Mardi Gras ». It has no fixed date because it depends on the date of Easter. In France, it is celebrated with a parade in which people are dressed with costumes and have masks.

• The origins of Carnival :

Origins of Carnaval

Carnival is a celebration of christian origins, Mardi Gras, which is celebrated before Lent, during which Christians mustn’t eat meat, eggs, alcohol … until Easter. Before privations, they have to finish all fatty foods. But traditions of dressing up and making noise are pagan customs.

• Carnival in France :

One of the oldest carnivals in France is Limoux. In this carnival, we can see a lot of clowns and bands and people celebrate the carnival for three months every weekend from the first Sunday in January. At the end of this period, a funeral march is organized for the model of his “King Carnival” to be burned in a pyre.

Carnival in Limoux

The most famous carnival in France is the Carnival in Nice. Visitors come each year from all over the world to participate in this magnificent spectacle. The carnival is celebrated day and night over two weeks. Each year a theme is chosen. Streets are decorated with fresh flowers. The procession (you have to pay to see it) takes place in the streets of the city and costumed participants who are in the floats throw flowers to the public. Twenty tanks are made for the parade, they are very colorful It's a beautiful scene : you can see petals of roses, ilia, mimosas, dahlias flying in the air !

The theme of Carnaval 2011 was “King of the Mediterranean”

During the 15 days of the Carnival of Nice, musicians and dance groups from around the world are also participating in the festival. About a thousand people: dancers and musicians from around the world come to participate. The sounds of Brazilian samba and Caribbean animate parades. Mardi Gras has become a famous holiday on the South of France.

A parade in Nice A battle of flowers

http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-we/magique-carnaval-de-nice-6285420.html : A report on TF1 (a french TV channel) about The Carnival in Nice

The Carnival in Annecy is also well known. It has been around for fifteen years. It is nicknamed the “Venetian Carnival Annecy” because Annecy is a beautiful city with canals like Venice. Beautiful costumes are out for the occasion and wonderful masks. Other carnivals are also renowned for their atmosphere, as the Carnival of Dunkirk, or the Carnival and Menton lemon festival.

“The Venetian Carnival” in Annecy

At 25 km from Lyon, there is a village which hosts a Carnival. It is not famous, but begins to make itself known: the Carnival of “Saint Pierre de Chandieu”. Each year, villages neighbouring to “St Pierre de Chandieu” create a tank and present it for the day of the parade, other activities are proposed : there are a fun fair with attractions and games for kids. There is a parade where people can dress up and participate to enjoy themselves.

Today in France, the Carnival is a festival which is getting lost with time. It is celebrated in many schools by children who dress up and play. But a few cities and villages organize it

A pyre : is a sentence of death where people were burned. They were attached to a wooden stake.

— ppontaro 27/04/2011 20:39