About this picture: Brazilian Carnival Decorations
The Brazilian Carnival, properly spelled Carnaval in Portugese, is an annual festival in Brazil held forty days before Ash Wednesday.
On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove (literally, "raise") meat." Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection.
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