Pre-Lenten
celebrations around the globe, including Carnival and Mardi Gras,
wrapped up yesterday before the marking of Ash Wednesday today.
Historians say the tradition dates back to Roman times, when the newly
converted Christians retained vestiges of their pagan festival,
"Lupercalia," as a period of celebration before the penance during the
40 days of Lent. -- Lloyd Young ( 46 photos total)
2
Revelers
from the Vila Isabel samba school participate in the annual Carnival
parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome Feb. 12. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
#
3
Performers
from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school parade during Carnival
celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Monday,
Feb. 11. (Hassan Ammar/Associated Press) #
4
A
reveler of Beija-Flor samba school performs atop a float during the
second night of Carnival parades at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on
Feb. 12. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images) #
5
A
performer from the Sao Clemente samba school parades during Carnival
celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 11.
(Felipe Dana/Associated Press) #
6
A reveler of Sao Clemente samba school performs during the second night
of Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb.
11. (Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty Images) #
7
A
performer from the Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school parades during
Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 12.
Rio de Janeiro's samba schools vied for the title of the year's best in
an over-the-top, all-night-long Carnival parade at the city's iconic
Sambadrome. (Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press) #
8
Performers
from the Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school parade during Carnival
celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 12. (Hassan
AmmarAP) #
9
Brazilian
celebrity Sabrina Sato performs with Gavioes da Fiel samba school
during the second night of Carnival parades at the Sambadrome in Sao
Paulo, Brazil, on Feb. 10. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images) #
10
A
performer from the Inocentes de Belford Roxo samba school parades
during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, on Feb. 10. (Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press) #
11
Reveler
of the Salgueiro samba school participate on the first night of the
annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, on Feb. 10.
(Ricardo Moraes/Reuters) #
12
Members
of samba school Imperatriz Leopoldinense perform during their parade at
the Sambadrome in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 11. (Marcelo
Sayao/European Pressphoto Agency) #
13
A
reveler of Beija-Flor samba school performs during the second night of
Carnival parades at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 12.
(Vanderlei Almeida/AFP/Getty Images) #
14
A
reveler of Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school performs during the
second night of Carnival parades at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on
Feb. 12. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images) #
15
Revelers
of Grande Rio samba school perform during the second night of Carnival
parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. (Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty
Images) #
16
Performers
from Inocentes de Belford Roxo samba school, prepare before
participating in a Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, on Feb. 10. (Hassan Ammar/Associated Press) #
17
Queen
of the 2013 Santa Cruz Carnival Soraya Rodriguez performs in Santa Cruz
de Tenerife on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife on Feb. 6.
(Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images) #
18
Dancers
take part in the Carnival parade in Barranquilla, Colombia on Feb. 9.
Barranquilla's Carnival, a tradition created by locals at the end of the
19th century as a response and to parody the celebration held by
European immigrants and aristocracy, was declared a "Masterpiece of Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by the UNESCO in 2003. (Luis
Acosta/AFP/Getty Images) #
19
Masqueraders
from Brian Mac Farlane's band parade on stage during their "Joy The
Finale" presentation on the final day of the Trinidad and Tobago
Carnival at Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain on Feb. 12. (Andrea
De Silva/Reuters) #
20
Participants
jump about during the Springerzug Carnival parade on Feb. 11 in
Herbstein, Germany. The Springerzug, literally "jumping parade", is an
interpretation of Carnival tradition particular to Herbstein. Niklas
(l.) attend the Springerzug. Rose Monday is the highpoint of the annual
Carnival in the region between Mainz, Cologne and Dusseldorf, where
Carnival has been an annual tradition since 1823 and celebrates
free-spirited merrymaking before the beginning of Lent. (Thomas
Lohnes/Getty Images) #
21
A
reveler, dressed as a traditional Carnival character known as a Dame
Lorraine, is helped into a pair of high heel shoes during J'Ouvert
celebrations, or "daybreak celebrations" in the capital city Port of
Spain on Feb. 11. Revelers bathe themselves in chocolate, mud, oil and
paint as they depict devils, demons, monsters and imps during the
celebrations, which marks the start of the two-day Trinidad Carnival
street parade. (Andrea De Silva/Reuters) #
22
Two masked revelers pose in Saint Mark's Square during the Venetian Carnival in Venice on Feb. 3. (Manuel Silvestri/Reuters) #
23
People
throw talcum powder at one another as they take part in the Carnival of
"Los Indianos" (the Indians) in Santa Cruz de la Palma, on the Spanish
Canary island of Las Palma on Feb. 11. (Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images)
#
24
Revelers wait to start a samba parade during the Carnival in Sesimbra, Portugal, on Feb. 10. (Rafael Marchante/Reuters) #
25
A
Carnival reveler wears fancy dress and blue face-paint during the
Springerzug Carnival parade on the annual Rose Monday (Rosenmontag),
Feb. 11 in Herbstein, Germany. The Springerzug, literally "jumping
parade", is an interpretation of Carnival tradition particular to
Herbstein. Niklas (l.) attend the Springerzug. Rose Monday is the
highpoint of the annual Carnival in the region between Mainz, Cologne
and Dusseldorf, where Carnival has been an annual tradition since 1823
and celebrates free-spirited merrymaking before the beginning of Lent.
(Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) #
26
A
boy takes part in the Carnival parade in the streets of Fort-de-France
on the French Caribbean island of Martinique on Feb. 10. The Carnival
started on Feb. 9 and will run until Ash Wednesday on Feb. 13 when
Vaval, a giant papier-mache figure symbolizing the king of the Carnival,
is burned. (Jean-Michel Andre/AFP/Getty Images) #
27
A
worker puts the final touches to a giant figure depicting German
Chancellor Angela Merkel during preparations for the 129th Nice Carnival
parade on Feb. 12 in Nice, southeastern France. (Lionel
Cironneau/Associated Press) #
28
A
traditional "Diablo Arlequin" (Harlequin Devil) dancer take part in the
second day of Carnival parade in Barranquilla, Colombia on Feb. 10.
Barranquilla's Carnival, a tradition created by locals at the end of the
19th century as a response and to parody the celebration held by
European immigrants and aristocracy, was declared a "Masterpiece of Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by the UNESCO in 2003. (Luis
Acosta/AFP/Getty Images) #
29
A
member of a rival team collects oranges in the middle of the square
during an annual Carnival battle in the northern Italian town of Ivrea
on Feb. 10. Dressed up as Middle Age kings' guards, a group of men ride
in a horse-drawn carriage and pelt 'foot soldiers' with oranges as
thousands of people gather to re-enact a Middle Age battle when the
townsfolk of Ivrea overthrew an evil king. In a strange twist, instead
of swords and cross bows, these days the weapons of choice are oranges.
(Stefano Rellandini/Reuters) #
30
A
member of the Filhos de Ghandy (Children of Gandhi) afoxe music group
throws popcorn into the air as a symbol of peace, during the Carnival
celebrations in Salvador da Bahia, on Feb. 10. (Lunae Parracho/Reuters)
#
31
A
Carnival reveler dressed as a clown passes a man on a street in
Sesimbra, Portugal, on Feb. 11. (Jose Manuel Ribeiro/Reuters) #
32
Revelers
perform during the Carnival parade in the streets of Fort-de-France on
the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on Feb. 10. The Carnival
started on Feb. 9 and will run until Ash Wednesday on Feb. 13 when
Vaval, a giant papier-mache figure symbolizing the king of the Carnival,
is burned. (Jean-Michel Andre/AFP/Getty Images) #
33
A
boy dressed as a clown marching with others during a Carnival parade in
Sesimbra, near Lisbon, on Feb. 11. Thousands of people wearing clown
costumes participate in the traditional march trying to break their own
world record set in 2004. (Francisco Seco/Associated Press) #
34
A
child member of the local "Indio" Carnival group of the Guadalupe
neighborhood in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, awaits to take part in
their "Bate Bola" traditional parade on Feb. 10. (Christophe
Simon/AFP/Getty Images) #
35
An
artist from the French performance group called Ilotopie performs in an
aquatic show "MetaMorPhosiS Aquaticae" on the Cannaregio Canal during a
parade as part of the opening ceremony of the Venice Carnival on Jan.
26. (Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters) #
36
Revelers
dressed as clowns dance while marching during a Carnival parade in
Sesimbra, near Lisbon, on Feb. 11. Thousands of people wearing clowns
costumes participated in the traditional march trying to break their own
world record set in 2004. (Francisco Seco/Associated Press) #
37
Italian
volleyball champion team player Francesca Piccinini wears a hussar's
uniform costume as he hangs from a rope during a 'Fly-in' performance
from the landmark San Marco bell tower to the San Marco Square in
Venice, Italy, as part of this year's Venice Carnival events on Feb. 10.
The Venice Carnival officially runs until Mardi Gras on Feb. 12.
(Andrea Merola/European Pressphoto Agency) #
38
William
H. Hines lifts his hands to the heavens as he comes down St. Charles
Avenue to Canal Street towards the end of the Mardi Gras parade on Feb.
12 in New Orleans. (Eliot Kamenitz/The Advocate via Associated Press) #
39
Revelers
catch beads as members of the Krewe of Endymion parade down Orleans
Avenue during the weekend before Mardi Gras in New Orleans, La., on Feb.
9. Mardi Gras day will be celebrated on Feb. 12. (Sean Gardner/Reuters)
#
40
Bacchus
yells to the crowd from his float during the Krewe of Bacchus Parade in
New Orleans, La., on Feb. 10. Mardi Gras festivities will be happening
all weekend long culminating with Fat Tuesday on Feb. 12. (Dan
Anderson/European Pressphoto Agency) #
41
A
member of the Krewe of Toath looks out of a float as his krewe parades
down St. Charles Avenue during the weekend before Mardi Gras in New
Orleans, La., on Feb. 10. (Sean Gardner/Reuters) #
42
A
worker hoses down a mat on Bourbon Street in the early morning of Ash
Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras, in the French Quarter of New
Orleans, on Feb. 13. The city begins to clean up after Mardi Gras comes
to a close, with Ash Wednesday ushering in the solemn season of Lent.
City and tourism officials are expected to talk about the impact of
successive waves of tourists that hit town, first for Super Bowl and
then a week later for Mardi Gras' final days. (Gerald Herbert/Associated
Press) #
43
An
Indian Catholic Christian woman holds a rosary and prays on Ash
Wednesday at Saint Mary's Basilica in Hyderabad, India, on Feb. 13. Ash
Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the season of fasting, reflection,
repentance and spiritual discipline observed by Catholics. (Mahesh Kumar
A/Associated Press) #
44
A
churchgoer prepares to receive ashes from Baltimore Archbishop William
Lori's outstretched hand during an Ash Wednesday mass in Baltimore on
Feb. 13. (Patrick Semansky/Associated Press) #
45
Pope
Benedict XVI arrives to lead Ash Wednesday mass at the Vatican on Feb.
13. Thousands of people are expected to gather in the Vatican for Pope
Benedict's Ash Wednesday mass, which is expected to be his last before
leaving office at the end of the month. (Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters) #
46
Grady
Sullivan prays during an Ash Wednesday service at Sacred Heart Catholic
Church on Feb. 13 in Conroe, Tx. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of
Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, reflection and repentance observed by
Catholics. (Jason Fochtman/Conroe Courier via Associated Press) #
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