THE CARNIVAL OF VENICE

The Carnival of Venice has its origin in the Bacchanalia and Saturnalia festivities of the
Roman Empire, where popular debauchery required the use of masks, to be able to enjoy
more freely, without the fear of being recognized. The celebration lasts from February 11 to
28.

On these dates, the Venetians and the many visitors dress up in masks and costumes to
dance through the streets and canals of this city, which is filled with dancers, acrobats and
theater. Each costume and each mask have its history and symbolizes something.

The costumes and masks they wear are characteristic of the Venetian 18th century. The
maschera nobile and maschera del galeone abound. Many of the masks that today dazzle
the streets of Venice are the most typical and famous, which have remained through the
centuries in the Carnival tradition.
 THE RIO CARNIVAL, BRAZIL

It’s the main festivity in Brazil which earned the distinction of being “The Greatest Show
on Earth.”

Is a festival held every year before Lent and considered the biggest carnival in the world
with two million people per day on the streets. The first Carnival festival in Rio occurred in
1723.

The typical Rio carnival parade is filled with revelers, floats, and adornments from
numerous samba schools which are located in Rio.

Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival celebration is undoubtedly the planet’s most ostentatious,

The party happens every February or March, ending 40 days before Easter and
commemorating the close of the long, hot Brazilian summer with a lavish, world-renowned
Carnival parade in the Sambadrome.

Also on tap are popular itinerant street parties called blocos, and chic, high-gloss costumed
balls called bailes. Non-Carnival-related commerce and industry in Rio completely shut
down for the fun, so there is no escape from the intense debauchery.
 THANKS GIVING DAY

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is one of the biggest holidays of the year. It is
celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. In the United States it is celebrated
on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a day when families from all over the United
States get together (sometimes travelling long distances) and prepare traditional dishes,
watch football on TV and have a big meal.

A traditional meal usually consists of a stuffed oven roasted turkey as the main dish. Other
dishes like potatoes (in various forms) and cranberry sauce are also considered traditional
by most families. Watching a football game on TV has also become part of the
Thankgiving tradition for American families. Many also like to watch the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, which is transmitted, live from New York City.

The origins of this holiday in the United States go back to 1621 when the Pilgrims and the
native Indians sat together and enjoyed a feast to celebrate a successful harvest. The
Pilgrims were Europeans who came to the United States seeking religious freedom. They
founded a colony at Plymouth in present day Massachusetts but would not have survived
without the help of the native Indians who lived there. They continued this traditional feast
for many years after that.

When the United States won its independence from England in 1776, each state celebrated
Thanksgiving on a different day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln, in an effort to unite
the northern and southern states, fixed Thanksgiving Day for the entire country as the last
Thursday of November. In 1941, President Franklin D Roosevelt made Thanksgiving Day
the fourth Thursday of November
 SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick , is a cultural and religious celebration held
on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost
patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the
early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion
(especially the Church of Ireland),the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church.
The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland,and
celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.Celebrations generally involve
public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.Christians
who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services and historically the
Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has
encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption. Saint Patrick's
Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,Northern Ireland,the Canadian province
of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British
Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated in the United Kingdom,
Canada, United States, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, especially amongst
Irish diaspora. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national
festival. Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora,
particularly those that developed in North America. However, there has been criticism of
Saint Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too commercialised and for fostering
negative stereotypes of the Irish people
 DAY OF THE DEAD

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition of pre-Hispanic origin. The main holidays are
November 1st and 2nd. The beauty and complexity of this celebration has attracted the
attention of everyone.

On the Day of the Dead, according to tradition, deceased loved ones return to be with their
relatives and nurture the offerings placed in their honor, are received with an offering
where their favorite food and drink, fruit or, if applicable, toys for children are placed. They
also put objects that the deceased enjoyed in life as instruments or books.

On the altar you can also see the photographs of the deceased and the colorful flowers of
cempasúchil. The color of death in pre-Hispanic Mexico was yellow and therefore the
cempasúchil flower is traditionally used in the Day of the Dead offering.

For the living it is an opportunity for gathering and prayer, for reflection on death,

This Mexican celebration reminds us how finite we are; However, it also teaches us that
death is part of life and we must celebrate it.

The Day of the Dead is a celebration of life and not of death; many families come together
to tell funny stories of the deceased. Belief says that the dead would be offended if on their
return home they saw the whole family sad and mourning; what they want is to see a
celebration.
 THE TOMATINA FESTIVAL

The Tomatina is a festival that is celebrated in the Valencian municipality of Buñol in

A week before the festival, there are parades, fireworks, food and street parties, making this
city the center of attention in Spain.

The night before Tomatina, the streets begin to fill with the smell of tomatoes. Around 120
tons of tomatoes are used.

In the early morning hours of the last Wednesday in August, people are busy covering
windows and doors to prepare for the Festival.

Trucks come to the plaza to unload their tomatoes so that people can use them as
ammunition. The Tomatina begins with the sound of rockets letting people know that it is
time to start shooting.

Then the streets are flooded with seeds, pulps and tomatoes. This madness goes on for
exactly one hour, until it ends the same way it started: with the sound of a rocket.

If you want to visit La Tomatina, keep in mind that there is now a limit for the number of
participants which is 20,000, so you must book your ticket in advance.