Brazilian Carnival

The Carnival of Brazil (Portuguese: Carnaval do Brasil, IPA: [kaʁnaˈvaw]) is an annual festival. The celebrations occur for five days before Ash Wednesday at noon, to mark the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. During Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstain from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival", from carnelevare, "to remove (literally, 'raise') meat". Carnival is the most popular holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions.