CARNIVAL

The origin of carnival is linked to Roman and Egyptian festivals. Ten thousand years before Christ, men, women and children would get together with masked faces and painted bodies to ward off the demons of bad harvests. Among the Egyptians, the traditional festivals were to pay homage to the goddess Isis and the Bull Apis. 

Soon after the New Year, the Romans celebrated the Saturnals in the calendas of January, which was the first day of each ancient Roman month. These were festivals introduced by Janus in memory of the god Saturn, during which social distinctions were ignored, slaves would take the place of their masters, who would in turn serve them at the table. During this period, law courts and schools were closed, judgements suspended and executions postponed. All hostilities were brought to a halt and slaves would run about the streets singing and having fun in disorderly fashion, whilst the more cultured would retreat to the peace of the countryside. 
In February, the Romans commemorated the Lupercals in homage to the god Pan. This festival involved the celebration of fertility. 
All ancient civilisations had these orgiastic festivals, brought together in the customs of the Romans and passed on to all the peoples conquered by them. 
In Europe, the most famous carnivals are or were: Paris, Venice, Munich and Rome, followed by Naples, Florence and Nice.

THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD CARNIVAL
Great festivals such as Carnival are associated with astrological phenomena and natural cycles. 
Carnival is characterised by parties, public entertainments, masked balls and displays of folklore. 

One of the probable origins of the word CARNIVAL is in the expression “carnem levare” (remove meat). 
This would be an allusion to Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday and during which both Catholics and Orthodox Christians pay their penitence. 
When Christianity appeared, these festivities were so deeply rooted in existing customs that their continuation was tolerated by the Church, provided that Carnival always took place seven weeks before Easter. 
Carnival’s place in the calendar depends on the date of Good Friday, which corresponds to the first full moon following March 21st, such that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Palm Sunday.