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Wednesday 1 January 2014

Carnival

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent. It is traditionally held in areas with a large Catholic and to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox makeup.

The word ‘carnival’ originally meant ‘a farewell to meat’ referring to the Christian tradition of giving up meat during Lent.

Dominican friar and preacher Girolamo Savonarola at the 1497 carnival of Florence organised a “bonfire of the vanities” at the carnival celebration before Lent, in which Florentine luxury goods, works of art, pornographic books and gambling equipment were publicly burnt. 

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