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Published: March 12th 2017
Christians everywhere indulge in joyous and often raucous celebrations in anticipation of the somber and reflective season of Lent. These events vary from country to country and town to town, and may involve parodies, fancy balls, clowns, dancing in the streets, and family fun, with the main event usually a grand parade. While I have not been to Rio's famous Carnival or the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, I have enjoyed several pre-Lenten festivals in Europe, from simple family events to world class extravaganzas. I hope you enjoy this sampling from them.
Nice, France. Nice, capital of the French Riviera, has perhaps Europe's most extravagant parade, with huge and complex mechanical floats, bands and dancing groups from all over, and lots of biting political satire. It is held along the seaside Promenade des Anglais and around a large square, both equipped with bleacher seating for thousands. I saw two: one was mainly satirical, while the other featured fanciful and nonsensical 'Critters'.
Menton, France.
Right at the border with Italy, Menton is 'the citrus capital' of France, and its special festivities reflect this fact. Its huge Parc Biovès downtown is transformed into a wonderland of giant creations sponsored
by cities around the world, all in keeping with the theme of the year, which was "Islands" on one of my visits and "The Sea" for the other. Every square inch of these models is covered with ton and tons of oranges, lemons and limes coming from France and as far away as the Americas. Armies of monitors replace daily any fruit that starts to go bad. There is also a spectacular parade along the waterfront, featuring floats, clowns, marching bands and costumed participants from cities and countries around the world.
Loule, Portugal.
According to local lore, this small town is where pre-Lenten parades originated before being transferred to Portugal's main colony, Brazil, and eventually becoming the widely imitated Rio Carnival. Here it's an affordable family affair, with everyone dressed in costumes, watching colourful ... and sometimes risquė ... floats and performers. The parade circulates around the huge main square, and everyone, young, old and visitors, has a grand time. For more info:
https://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Algarve/blog-859635.html .
Valetta, Malta.
This island nation, midway between Tunisia and Italy, holds many pre-Lenten events, the largest of which has been held in its capital, Valetta, since 1535. It is neither as
big nor as unique as those described above, but it's a genuine family affair in which it seems that the entire island participates.
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Nanci G Phelan
non-member comment
What a Burst of Colour and Fun
Hi Fred Thanks for this delightful carnival blog. It is a delicious burst of colour and fun. I remember seeing these from postings on your other website blogs. You have really captured the spirit of the parades and festivities. I loved the monster ones and those naked ladies are pretty good eye candy as well. Thanks for sharing these again from a different perspective.