MAKEUP

As it's Carnival, you might need some of these products to disguise properly. Here's make up vocabulary. For more vocabulary on personal hygiene care HERE.

IT'S CARNIVAL TIME HERE... BUT NOT IN NOTTING HILL (LONDON)

These days we're about to celebrate Carnival, like in Cádiz, Tenerife, Venice, Rio de Janeiro and many other places... In Britain Carnival is also celebrated, but not now. Bad weather could be the reason, Britain celebrates Carnival in summer, more exactly during August, and Britain's most famous Carnival celebrations are held in Notting Hill (London).

Before we go to Notting Hill, let's check up with some basic Carnival vocabulary in this first video:

The Notting Hill Carnival taking place in West London each year is Europe's biggest street festival. For two days at the end of the month of August, the members of the West Indian community flock the streets of Notting Hill in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for one of the biggest celebration on the planet. The carnival has lived in the area since the 60s and is today attracting over a million people a year. If you are looking for a vibrant celebration, with plenty of sound systems for street dancing and numerous Caribbean food stalls serving up jerk chicken, then the Notting Hill Carnival is the place to be.

Video:

Link to more about Carnival on previous posts in this blog:

- IT'S CARNIVAL TIME (2010)

- MARDI GRAS OR FAT TUESDAY (2011)

- CARNIVAL AROUND THE WORLD (2013)

- SHROVE TUESDAY-PANCAKE DAY (2013)

TODAY'S SHROVE TUESDAY & IT'S PANCAKE DAY

Today's 12th February and it's Shorve Tuesday or also Pancake Day. It's the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent starts. It's the day when pancakes are cooked and eaten here in Galicia and in England, too. In England, they also hold pancake races where you have to run and arrive first to the finishing line while flipping a pancake in a frying pan.

Video  PANCAKE DAY & PANCAKE RACE:

Links to more info on Shrove Tuesday and Pancake Day:

- SHROVE TUESDAY OR PANCAKE DAY.

- BRITANNICA ACTIVITIES ON PANCAKES.

- GAME: FLIP-A-PANCAKE.

CARNIVAL 2013. CARNIVAL AROUND THE WORLD

It's Carnival time once again. This year is quite early, beginning of February. Enjoy it!

[Here's information taken from publicholiday.org]

What is Carnaval or Mardi Gras?

Carnaval or Mardi Gras is a festive season typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.

The festival culminates in Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. The date is dependent on that of Easter, and thus can vary from as early as 3 February to as late as 9 March.

Carnaval is a popular festival in Brazil and many other Catholic countries. While in recent years Carnaval has grown in popularity as a raucous, hedonistic event, its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the “last hurrah” before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Origins of The Name

Origins of the word Carnaval or Carnival is disputed, but many believes it comes from the Italian words “carne levare”, literally means “to remove meat”, since meat is prohibited during Lent.

Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French. The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival.

When is Carnaval 2013 / Mardi Gras 2013?

Date of Carnaval 2013 / Mardi Gras 2013

The culmination of Carnaval 2013 / Mardi Gras 2013 / Carnival 2013 is on Fat Tuesday, 12 February 2012 . Carnaval celebrations are usually started from days or even weeks before, with celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago start from as early as December.

Date of Carnaval 2012 / Mardi Gras 2012

The culmination of Carnaval 2012 / Mardi Gras 2012 / Carnival 2012 is on Fat Tuesday, 21 February 2012 .

Carnivals Around The World

Best & Most Popular Carnivals / Carnaval in The World

Some of the most popular Carnaval in the world are Mardi Gras of New Orleans, the Carnival of Venice, Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, Caribana in Canada and The Carnival in the Caribbean in Trinidad & Tobago. The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a world famous festival held before Christian Lent season every year and considered the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets. The first festivals of Rio date back to 1723.

Carnaval de Uruguay 2013

The Carnival in Uruguay is the longest carnival in the world, with more than 40 days of celebration, with celebrations in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, being the largest and brightest.

During the forty days of festival, popular theaters called tablados are built in throughout the cities, especially in Montevideo. Traditionally formed by men but now are also open to women, the different Carnival groups called mainly Murgas, Lubolos or Parodistas perform a kind of popular opera at the tablados, singing and dancing songs that generally relate to social reality and political situation in the country.

Carnival in Uruguay is performed in the European parade style with elements from Bantu and Angolan Benguela cultures imported with slaves in colonial times. The main attractions of Uruguayan Carnival include two colorful parades called Desfile de Carnaval (Carnival Parade) and Desfile de Llamadas (Calls Parade – re-enactment of what happened during the colonial period).

Mardi Gras 2013 in New Orleans, USA

New Orleans is Mardi Gras capital of the United States. In New Orleans, Mardi Gras is music, parades, picnics, floats, excitement and one big holiday. Everyone is wearing purple, green, and gold; and adorned with long beads caught from the beautiful floats. They sit on the ground throwing balls, playing music, having a picnic, and watching the crowds walk by between parades.

All of the businesses and roads are practically shut down. People dressed in colorful & fancy costumes are walking everywhere and meeting new friends. Kids are everywhere, and they love it!

New Orleans Mardi Gras 2013 will start from late January till Tuesday, 12 February 2013. 

2013 Carnaval in Brazil

Carnival is the biggest and most famous event in Brazil. The whole country stops completely for almost a week. Festivities and celebrations are intense, day and night, in the whole country. It is reported that the consumption of beer during carnival accounts for 80% of Brazil’s annual consumption and Brazil tourism receives 70% of annual visitors during and around the carnival.

Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are watched by the public, while minor parades (“blocos”) allowing public participation can be found in other cities.

The northeastern cities of Salvador, Porto Seguro and Recife have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. Also in northeast, Olinda carnival features unique characteristics, part influenced by Venice Carnival mixed with cultural depictions of local folklore.

The Carnival in Rio is the biggest Carnival in Brazil and is a very interesting one. It is also the most expensive time to visit Rio. Hotel rooms and other lodgings are much more expensive during the carnival period. There are big crowds at some locations and life is far from ordinary in many parts of town.

Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Carnival 2013 dates: Friday, 8 February 2013 until Tuesday, 12 February 2013.

Carnival in Italy

Of of the most famous carnival in Italy and Europe is held in Venice. The main characteristics of Venice’s Venetian Carnival is the emphasis on distinctive masks, with one of the most important events is the contest for the best mask.

Venice Carnival starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Marted? Grasso), the day before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras in France

In France, the most popular Carnival is the Mardi Gras Parade of Place Massena in Nice. The event attracts over a million visitors to Nice every year. The Carnival spans a two week period with the final day on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), each year carrying a different theme, displayed in papier mache figures.

Often dressed in masks and big headed caricature costumes, the people of Nice take the time of the Mardi Gras to enjoy themselves, lighten up and taking part in the feasts, drinks, dancing and parades across the city of Nice.

Carnival in Netherland / Nederland

In the Netherlands, the Carnivals is also called “Vastenavond” or “Vastelaovend”, mostly celebrated in Catholic regions likethe southern provinces North Brabant and Limburg. Carnival in the Netherlands is officially celebrated from Sunday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Typical Dutch Carnivals include a parade, a “prince” plus cortege, a farmer’s wedding (boerenbruiloft), and eating herring (haring happen) on Ash Wednesday. However, there are also some variants to the Carnival like Rijnlandsche Carnival in the province of Limburg with a street carnival featuring samba bands and elaborate costumes resembling South American and Venetian influences.

Carnaval in Spain

Spain has famous carnivals in many areas. Some of the most famous carnivals are in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltru, Tarragona, Solsona, Cadiz, Badajoz, Bielsa (an ancestral carnival celebration), Plan, San Juan de Plan, Laza, Verin, Viana and Xinzo de Limia. Every February, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the largest of the Canary Islands, hosts the Carnival, attracting around a million spectators. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is considered the second most popular and internationally known carnival after Rio Carnival.

Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife starts on the Friday before Ash Wednesday with a spectacular opening parade, which continues to the night, with thousands of people in fancy costumes dance until next morning. The street party and dance continues every day and night until Fat Tuesday. On that day, people of Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrate the “entierro de la sardina” (burial of the sardine) and with it the Carnival is officially over.

Carnaval in Portugal

Carnaval is celebrated throughout Portugal, most famously in Ovar, Madeira, Loule, Nazare, and Torres Vedras, with each region puts its own unique take on the festival. The carnivals in Podence and Lazarim incorporate pagan traditions of the Roman Saturnalias, while the Torres Vedras celebration is probably the most representative Portuguese carnival where the locals are the stars.

One of the most famous Carnaval events in Portugal is in the town Ovar near Porto. It is well known for its creative designs, which they display in the Carnaval Parade. Participants and their families work year-round to prepare their elaborate and humorous costumes, masks, decorations and floats. Its Carnaval parade features troupes with themed costumes and music, ranging from the traditional to modern pop culture.

Carnival in Philippines

The Ati-atihan Festival is also called as “The Filipino Mardi Gras”. The Ati-Atihan Festival is a feast held annually in January (on the second Sunday after Epiphany), and is held on Philippines island and town of Kalibo, Aklan. The festival celebrates the Santo Nino and is extremely colorful and spirited.

The festival consists of tribal dance, music, accompanied by indigenous costumes and weapons, and parade along the street. Christians, and non-Christians observe this day with religious processions.

Entroido in Galicia links:
- Entroido.
- Carnaval Galicia.

CARNIVAL TIME (2): MARDI GRAS OR FAT TUESDAY

The terms "Mardi Gras", "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season",in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.
Carnival is an important celebration in Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called "shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Today, Mardi Gras is colourful street carnivals, marching bands, dancing and all-night partying in the streets. Many people dress up in spectacular costumes and wear beautiful masks. The biggest Mardis Gras carnivals are in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and New Orleans (USA). Thousands of people from all over the world visit these cities to join in the fun. Venice (Italy) is home to one of the oldest carnivals in the world, which dates back to 1268. Thousands of mask-wearing people fill the Venetian streets and attend special masked balls. In Sydney, Australia, Mardis Gras is celebrated by the city’s gay and lesbian community with street parades and costumes.

More on Carnival:
Look for previous entry in this blog on February, 8th, 2010 or under the labels Carnival & Tradition, called IT'S CARNIVAL TIME.

Links to Carnival sites:

- Notting Hill Carnival (London)

- Mardi Gras (New Orleans)

Video Krewes at New Orleans 2006 Mardi Gras:

IT'S CARNIVAL TIME

Photos from London's Notting Hill Carnival held every August.

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, masque and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.
Carnival is a festival traditionally held in Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox societies. Protestant areas usually do not have carnival celebrations or have modified traditions, such as the Danish Carnival or other Shrove Tuesday events. The Brazilian Carnaval is one of the best-known celebrations today, but many cities and regions worldwide celebrate with large, popular, and days-long events. These include the Carnevale of Venice and the Carnevale of Viareggio, Italy, the German Rhineland carnivals, centering on the Cologne carnival; the carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands; in Andalucia & Galicia (Spain) Carnival of Cádiz and in Ourense ; the carnival of Cape Verde; of Torres Vedras, Portugal; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rijeka, Croatia; Barranquilla, Colombia; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Jamaica; the Carnaval and the Llamadas in Montevideo, Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. In the United States, the famous Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, date back to French and Spanish colonial times.

In Britain, the season immediately before Lent was called Shrovetide. It was a time for confessing sins (shriving) with fewer festivities than the Continental Carnivals. Shrove Tuesday is celebrated as Pancake Day, but apart from the serving of pancakes and occasional pancake races and football matches, little else of the Lent-related Shrovetide survived the English Reformation. One of the few, if not the only, Shrovetide carnivals in the UK takes places in Cowes and East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. This is the first carnival of the year on the island, and is the start of a long and busy carnival calendar.
The traditional English carnivals take place later in the year, such as the West Country Carnival in November, associated with Guy Fawkes Night. African-Caribbean communities organise and participate in Caribbean Carnivals (Caribbean style carnivals) throughout the UK. The best known of these is the annual Notting Hill Carnival, attracting up to 1.5 million people from Britain and around the world, making it the largest street festival in Europe. The carnival began in 1964 as a small procession of Trinidadians in memory of festivals in their home country. It is held in August. Leeds West Indian Carnival is Europe's oldest West Indian carnival and now attracts around 130,000 people. Other carnivals include the Leicester Caribbean Carnival and the Birmingham International Carnival. Luton Carnival, begun 1976, is in May. St Pauls carnival, an African Caribbean Carnival usually takes place on the first Saturday of July in Bristol.

Video "CARNIVAL GIRL", TEXAS with Notting Hill after the party:

Video "CARNIVAL GIRL", Texas+Kardinal Offishal live on TV:

"CARNIVAL GIRL"
TEXAS (featuring Kardinal Offishall) 2003
See me in the morning light, a photograph of pure delight.
Yeah, but I left too soon. (I don’t see you girl, ya know)
There were some good times we had, and there were some that weren’t so bad.
Oh, just feel it now, lets feel it now.
RAP (1): Yoh, yo, I remember what we used to do
blink up and dream a living with a notion view
I’ll give you the sun, the stars and the blue sky too.
So come on a leasing want to pleasing you.
Remember when we used to link up with the crew
Suzanne, Suzette and Tanya too.
You’re the one on me side from the out yard view
it’s just a party now, yo, I believe in you, I ain’t leaving you.
CHORUS: OOH, COME ON LET’S GET DOWN TONIGHT,
COME ON LET’S GET DOWN TONIGHT,
JOIN THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE,
OOH, WELL YOU SING IT NOW, TAKE IT NOW,
JOIN THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE. (Come on join in the carnival of love, yeah)
I watch the laughter in your eyes, I see the wrinkles change in size
yeah, time has left you now.
Lovers may have tried to be, everything that’s strange in me
oh, much deeper now, (Much deeper) much deeper now.
RAP (2):, Yo, I used to love it when we used to play,
it used to be like a weekend everyday,
three times a night, right in everyway,
body to body make you scream and say, physically dance.
You’re not easy, take it easy,
only girl, we are love, but man, we got hope,
and you stay on my mind,
so lets go to the carnival, girl. Let me bring you to life.
CHORUS (X 2)
Push it now, push it now. (I believe in you). Stop me now. (X 4)
(I believe in you, I ain’t leaving you)
CHORUS (X 2)
REPEAT RAP 1