Carnival Celebrations | Holy Week (Semana Santa)

Pancake Day in England

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Depending on your location in Europe, you will hear the pre-Lenten parades and celebrations referred to as Carnaval, Carnevale, Karnaval, Karneval, Fasching, Fassenacht, Fasching, Fastnacht, Fasnet, Pancake Day, Vastenavend, Busójárás Festival .... the list goes on.

The partying of Carnival season generally ends on Shrove Tuesday -- “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras” -- the day before Ash Wednesday, when the 40-day Christian period of Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday falls on the following dates in the following years:

February 8 (2005), February 28 (2006), February (2007), February 5 (2008), February 24 (2009), February 16 (2010), March 8 (2011), February (2012), February 12 (2013), March 4 (2014).

Carnaval
Bailleul-Mont des Cats, France
February (every year)
Processions, floats, and brass bands.

Carnaval
Barcelona, Spain
February (every year)
Feasting, confetti parades, and a funeral cortege.

Fasnachts
Basel, Switzerland
February (Monday to Thursday, the week after Ash Wednesday)
Costumed parade.

Carnaval
Binche, Belgium
February (every year)
Masked parades and costume balls.

Karneval
Bremen, Germany
February (every year)
Masked parades and costumed characters.

Carnaval
Dunkerque, France
February (every year)
Street carnival and parade.

Carnevale
Foiano, Italy
February (every year)
Music, floats, and parties.

Carnival
Funchal, Portugal
February (every year)
Traditional Carnival celebrations on the island of Madeira.

Carnaval
Granville, France
February (first Sunday of every February)
Festivities include a masked parade.

Carnaval
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
February (every year)
Carnival, Canary Islands style, includes “Drag Queen Day”.

Carnival
Loulé, Portugal
February (every year)
Floats and fancy-dress parades.

Carnaval
Madrid, Spain
February (every year)
Feasting and fancy-dress parades.

Carneval
Mainz, Germany
February (every year)
Masquerade and procession.

Busójárás Festival
Mohács, Hungary
February (starts Thursday before Ash Wednesday)
Combination carnival celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of Lent.

Carnaval
Nice, France
February (every year)
Processions, fireworks, concerts, and floats.

Carnaval
Pau, France
February (every year)
Bonfires, pancakes, processions, cross-dressing, and pig races!

Carnevale
Putignano, Italy
December - February (every year)
Parade of papier-mache floats.

Carnaval
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
February (every year)
Processions, cross-dressing, horse parade, and street parties.

Carnaval
Santiago de Compostela, Spain
February (every year)
Horse parade and costume procession.

Carnevale
Sciacca, Italy
February (every year)
Sicilian costume parade and carnival floats.

Carnaval
Sitges, Spain
February (every year)
Popular gay resort hosts 250,000 for this wild celebration

Pancake Day
Various towns, United Kingdom
February (every year)
Towns hold pancake races on “Shrove Tuesday” and families toss pancakes at home

Carnevale
Venice, Italy
February (every year)
Masquerades, processions, ceremonies, parades, and masked balls.

Carnevale
Verona, Italy
February (every year)
Masked parade and regatta.

Carnevale
Viareggio, Italy
February (every year)
Parades, fireworks, and famous papier-maché puppets.

Carnaval
Vilanova i La Geltrú, Spain
February (every year)
Parades, meringue wars, sweet wars (food fights), and masquerades.

Karneval
Rijeka, Croatia
January - February (every year)
Carnival parade meets Slavic folklore and mythology.

Easter in EuropeCarnival Celebrations | Holy Week (Semana Santa)