Many Pagans also held celebrations at the end of successful harvests heading into winter and were a way of thanking the spirits. In Europe the Pagans believed that evil spirits ruled the world during winter, and that they had to be driven out for summer to return. Carnival was essentially seen as a spiritual passage from dark to light, winter to summer.

Celebrations were always held around the end of winter to celebrate the coming of spring and the renewal of fertility. Many pagans held large celebrations that revolved around the spring equinox. These wild celebrations were the ones that people were reluctant to give up, even after they became Christians. Why is carnival celebrated?, in Ancient times long before the emergence of Christianity, people whom we call pagans today had wild celebrations centred around the winter and spring solstices, and spring and fall equinoxes. Where was carnival invented? It has been speculated that carnival origin, carnival origins of the world’s biggest party, were some 5000 years ago with the Egyptians other speculate it was the Greeks. In ancient Egypt and Greece there were festivities that occurred around the cycles of nature and the universe.

However, how did carnivals start? carnival pagan origins started long before the emergence of Christianity as it was a celebration that featured prominently in many pagan cultures’ calendars. Today carnival is principally a Christian affair celebrated mainly in countries with large Catholic populations. The origin of carnival are a debatable affair. Where did carnival originate?, well that is a question that doesn’t exactly have an answer. In Italian, “ carne levare” means “ to remove meat“, while in Latin “ carne vale” means “ farewell to meat“.

What is the carnival word origin?, the name “ carnival” seems to derive from the Italian word “ carne“, which explains its Christian origin. These public celebrations typically include street parties, parades, balls or some other form of entertainment. What is carnival festival?, carnival or carnaval is an annual festival that typically occurs before the onset of Lent and generally involves a public celebration of some kind.

Saturnalia costume