Happy Carnival 2016! Mardi Gras is here and we hope you celebrate it wherever you are. And don't forget to wear your costumes and eat some pancakes!

Carnival and Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday" in French) is the culmination of the Carnival celebrations, a day before the Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras was the last night of eating fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. Carnival derives from carne vale "farewell to meat" in Italian. In Britain this day is also known as the Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Children love it.

Carnival festivities usually involve masks, costumes and street parades and they have been traditionally in many parts of the world, in particular in Catholic countries. The Carnivals of Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Barranquilla, Tenerife, Cádiz, Oruro, Cologne, Nice and the Mardi Gras of New Orleans are some of the most famous ones. We hope you have the chance to enjoy the carnival wherever you are!

Have fun!