Other carnivals around the world Rijeka, Croatia January 21-February 6 Ancient Slav carnival customs include the making of 'ugly masks' to scare away evil forces and welcome the spring.
Be ready for the Carnival customs like egg throwing.
The French settlers (in Trinidad, and places of largely Catholic settlement, like Martinique and Haiti, which also have carnivals) brought their custom of grand pre-Easter balls in the plantation houses and parading masked through the streets.
Adds Robinson, "Fortunately, the custom during carnival is not to wear much in the way of clothing".
In its fusion of African, indigenous, and Spanish myth and custom, the Devil's Carnival is a celebration of "brotherhood, peace, and happiness" and of the unique history of this tiny corner of Colombia's impossibly diverse cultural landscape.
The country is particularly associated with its traditional Oktoberfest celebrations, its carnival culture and globally influential Christmas customs known as Weihnachten.
Shrove Tuesday eventually acquired the character of a carnival or festival in European countries, and many customs developed in connection with this day that precedes the beginning of the Lenten fast.
These included various carnival animals, fruit-shaped bon-bons, and of course, custom-made and hand-decorated ice cream cakes -- all of it before Carvel came into being.
Dating back to the 14th century, the carnival in the town of Binche is another Unesco-registered custom.
The custom continues, but has nearly been eclipsed by the carnival spirit that took hold in the last 50 years.
As always, these shifting cultural trends were reflected in a rapturous Carnival, the annual festival that combines African, Indigenous, and European customs and officially marks the beginning of Lent.
