Paris Carnival

The Paris Carnival (French: Carnaval de Paris) is a happy festival that happens every year in Paris, France. People have been celebrating this carnival since the 1500s, which means it has a very long history!

During the carnival, everyone enjoys parades, games, and delicious food. The celebrations usually happen after a special event called the Feast of Fools, making the carnival a time of joy and fun for all ages.

Even though there was a long break in the 1900s, the Paris Carnival came back and continues to bring smiles and excitement to the city each year.

History

The Carnival of Paris is a festival with a very long history in the French capital. It began many centuries ago and has been a tradition for a long time. People in Paris have always loved to celebrate with parades, dances, and special events.

Workers have always been an important part of the Carnival. They enjoy the festivities very much and look forward to them each year. Even police officers used to join in the fun. The Carnival used to last for many weeks, from January until the start of Lent. But for a long time, from 1952 to 1997, the Carnival did not happen in Paris. During this time, people had to go to places like Nice or Rio de Janeiro to enjoy similar celebrations.

The Carnival has inspired famous artists, with paintings showing masked balls and street processions.

Street activities

The Paris Carnival includes fun street events like mask walks and colorful processions. During the mask walks, many people dress up in costumes and gather in one place, drawing crowds of onlookers. Another tradition is the "fat days," which happen in the days leading up to Mardi Gras. These celebrations have changed over time, but they always end with a special parade called the "Procession of the Fat Ox."

There is also a day called Mid-Lent, or the Feast of Laundresses, which happens 21 days after Mardi Gras. On this day, laundresses would have parades and choose a queen. This idea inspired other worker groups to also choose their own queens for a short time.

Modern day carnival

In 1997, the Paris Carnival started again thanks to groups called Les Fumantes de Pantruches and Droit à la Culture. These groups still organize many events each year, including the Carnaval de Paris and the Carnaval des Femmes de Paris.

Since 2002, another group named MACAQ has also helped run the carnival. In 2007, about 1,500 people joined, and 10,000 watched. By 2009, this grew to 15,000 participants and 40,000 spectators. In 2010, the carnival happened at the same time as Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year. The theme was unusual couples. The parade began at Place Gambetta, passed through Belleville to meet the Chinese New Year parade, and ended at the Hôtel de Ville.