Easter Around the World

Easter is one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar, celebrated throughout the world with great pomp and show. There are a few things, such as the Easter eggs, bunnies and chocolates that are common to Easter celebrations all over the world. Yet, we can see a glimpse of local traditions during the Easter festival in different parts of the world. Right from north to south and east to west, we find a tinge of local flavor in Easter celebrations in various countries across the world. In our write up about Easter celebrations around the globe, we have covered some really interesting and fascinating activities of the Easter occasion in the US, Australia, Europe, Mexico and other nations. Easter in Europe Like all other festivals and holidays, Easter is also celebrated in different fashions in different parts of the world. Many countries of Europe, celebrate Easter by lighting giant bonfires on hilltops and in churchyards on Easter Eve. Easter in England Easter in England is celebrated through the exchange of Easter Eggs and other gifts like clothes, chocolates or holidays packages. Easter bonnets or baskets are also made that have fillings like daffodils in them. Easter in Germany In Germany, Easter is known by the name of Ostern. Easter holidays for children last for about three weeks. Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday are the days when people do not work at all. Easter in Australia Australia is the land of people that belongs to a number of countries. Different people have brought in different traditions with them, due to which, Easter celebrations take place in a variety of ways. Easter in Mexico Semana Santa and Pascua (two separate observances) form a part of Easter celebrations in Mexico. Semana Santa stands for the entire Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Saturday, whereas the Pascua is the observance of the period from the Resurrection Sunday to the following Saturday. Easter in US Easter is one of the most popular festivals across the United States. Though Easter has a religious background, it has assumed to have more of a secular character in the United States. Easter in Other Parts Easter is known as Paques in France. The main celebration sets off on Good Friday with a somber note. To mourn the crucifixion of Christ, church bells are not rung for three days. On Easter morning, the children hurry into the garden to watch the bells "Fly back from Rome". Easter in Brazil In Brazil, Easter festivity is held with much grandeur and splendor. Unlike most of the other countries, Brazil has its Easter celebrations taking place in the autumn season, due to its geographical location. Easter in France The historic country of France celebrates Easter with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal. Known as Pques in French, Easter is one of the major festivals in the country. Easter in Greece Known for practicing religious fervor through Orthodox Christianity, Greece observes Easter as its main religious festivity, according to the ancient Greek religious calendar. Easter in India India is a land of cultural diversity, where every festival is celebrated with great pomp and show. Although Christians constitutes a meager 2.5% of the total population in India, the festivity of Easter is no less.

Easter in Italy Dominated by the Christian faith, Italy celebrates Easter with great fanfare and vigor. Known as 'Pasqua' in Italian, Easter makes the entire country have fun with games and concerts. Easter in Norway In Norway, the Eastertide starts early i.e. a day before the commencement of the Lent season. This day is known as Vastelavent or Schrovetide. It is from this day that Norwegians start celebrating the upcoming festive occasion, spring season and a new working year. Easter in Poland Poland is known all over the world for its faith in Orthodox Christianity. Hence, the country celebrates Easter in a very conventional style, mainly adhering to the traditional ways. Easter in Romania In Romania, Easter is celebrated as per the rituals followed by the Eastern Orthodox Church. High spirits and festive mood engulfs the country on Easter. The celebrations begin almost a week before Easter Day. Easter in Russia Russia has an amalgamation of Western Christians and Eastern Orthodox Christians and hence, celebrates Easter according to both the ways. However, taking into consideration the fact that even the basic thing of celebration i.e. the date of the festival is different for both the sects; the task seems to be quite tough. Easter in Spain Easter is regarded as the most important festival in Spain. Known as Semana Santa in Spanish, it is an occasion of celebration and merriment. The celebrations start with Domingo de Ramos, or Palm Sunday, and finish with Lunes de Pascua, or Easter Monday. Easter in Sweden In Sweden, Easter is more than just a festival. It is religious occasion that is celebrated with great splendor and glory. The grandeur of the festival is seen from the fact that a week before Easter, the entire country revels in the Eastertide festivities and shops are gaily decorated in festive symbols. Easter in Switzerland Easter calls for a time to celebrate and rejoice the resurrection of Jesus, in all the parts of the world. When it comes to Easter celebrations, Switzerland is not far behind. Easter in Canada A major festival in Canada, Easter is celebrated with much magnificence and elaboration. It is a time for attending church and spending quality time with family and friends. Easter in New Zealand Easter celebrations in New Zealand have become more secular over the years as the festival is more about chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits. People assume the holiday to be a lovely long weekend. Easter in the Netherlands Known as Pass Zondag in Dutch, Easter is associated with special meals in the Netherlands. The cross forms the main symbol of Easter that is decorated with flowers or young leaves. Easter in Denmark Known as Pske in Danish, Easter is the most important festival in the Scandinavian region of Denmark. It is celebrated with colorful traditions that form a part of the national heritage of Denmark. Easter in Hungary The springtime festival of Easter is celebrated with folk traditions in Hungary. The Easter eggs are considered to be more of a decorative item as part of the Hungary Easter traditions. Easter in Israel

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists travel from across the world to Israel to celebrate the holy festival of Easter in the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Holy fire lights and candles symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ here.

Top 5 Easter Traditions From Around The World

Easter is upon us! Easter Week began this past weekend with Palm Sunday and culminates in weekend commemorations of Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, and in some countries Easter Monday. Around the world, different cultures, countries, communities, and sects have their own traditions to celebrate the Easter holiday. As Catholics and Protestants gather in churches across the globe to commemorate the resurrection of Christ, people everywhere are celebrating in their own ways by eating chocolate bunnies, going on Easter egg hunts and flying kites. Here are the HuffPost's top 5 Easter traditions from around the world. Know of other interesting global traditions? Share them in the comments section below. 1) BERMUDA: Bermudians celebrate Good Friday by flying home-made kites, eating codfish cakes, and eating hot cross buns. According to Bermuda-Online.org, the tradition is said to have begun when a local teacher from the British Army had difficulty explaining Christ's ascension to Heaven to his Sunday school class. He made a kite, traditionally shaped like a cross, to illustrate the Ascension. The traditional Bermuda kites are made with colorful tissue paper, long tails, wood, metal, and string. 2) NORWAY: Norwegians have an interesting tradition for the season known for "Easter-Crime" orPaaskekrim. At this time of year, many around the country read mystery books or watch the televised crime detective series on national television, according to The Norway Post. Many families escape up to the mountains for the vacation week beginning the Friday before Palm Sunday and ending the Tuesday after Easter Monday. When spending time in a ski cabin in the mountains, a popular past time is playing Yahtzee, according to About.com. The image below shows Norwegian mystery novels in display during the Easter holiday. 3) EUROPE: In parts of Northwestern Europe large bonfires, called Easter Fires, are lit on Easter Sunday and Monday. While there are various explanations for the origin of the Easter Fires, the most common Saxon tale is that Easter is a time when spring becomes victorious over winter and the fires were to chase the darkness of winter away. Today, however, the meaning of the fires is simply to bring communities together. The nights are festive with heavy consumption of gin, lager, and snacks. 4) SWEDEN: A mainly secular holiday in the Lutheran country of Sweden, Easter is celebrated with meals of eggs, herring, and Jansson's Temptation (potato, onion and pickled sardines baked in cream). The most interesting tradition to come out of Sweden is that in the days leading up to Easter Sunday, children dress up as Easter witches, wearing old and discarded clothes, according to Sweden.se. Traveling from home to home in their neighborhoods, the children trade paintings and drawings for sweets. 5) HAITI: In Haiti, Holy Week is marked by colorful parades and traditional "rara" music played on bamboo trumpets, maracas, drums, even coffee cans. According to About.com, the holiday is a mixture of Catholic and Voodoo traditions. Voodoo believers make an annual pilgrimage to the village of Souvenance. In the photo below devout voodoo believers hold a goat head and other parts, as offerings to the spirits, during a ceremony in Souvenance village, Haiti. Showing devotion to the spirits, the celebration is marked by drumming, chanting and animal sacrifices.

Easter Games, Easter Activities, Easter Games For Children, Game, Easter For Kids
Egg Rolling
This game is reputed to be played at the White House in the USA every year.For an egg roll, you must have some sort of incline, preferable a hill. The Egg Roll is basically a race, the eggs are rolled down the hill and the one that reaches the bottom first, wins. Steep hills make great races, but slow climbing.

Who's Got the Egg?

This game is best played with 16 or more but can be played by smaller groups. Divide the group into 2. Give each group four eggs - plastic or hard boiled. (If your group is smaller, use 2 or 3 eggs.) Each group must pick four players to hide the eggs in their back pockets or wherever else in their clothing it can be hidden. After the teams have hidden the eggs, they line-up facing the opposing team. Alternating turns between the 2 teams, players go down the line calling out the name of the opponent that they think may have the egg. When a player with a hidden egg is called, he or she must reveal the egg. The first team to uncover their opponents' four eggs wins.

Easter Games Egg Hunt

Probably the most popular Easter Game is an egg hunt. You might not have to worry about preparing for this one, because if you're lucky, when you wake up on Easter morning, the Easter Bunny will have already come to your house and hidden the eggs. In this case, all you'll have to do search until you find them. However, if the bunny was too busy to hide the eggs (which he frequently is), you'll have to do it yourself. Here are a few egg hunt hints: 1. Take a count of how many eggs are hidden and how many are found. Make sure they match. The aroma of eau de rotten oeuf in July can be overpowering. 2. Don't hide eggs where pets might eat them. 3. Hide eggs in easy and difficult places to find to keep it interesting for all the kids. 4. Sometimes it's a good idea to give little kids a minute or so head start on their older siblings. 5. For extra fun, let the kids know that finding certain designated colored eggs will earn them an extra prize.

Easter in Ethiopia

During Lent in Ethiopia, Christians don't eat or buy any animal products like meat, eggs, butter, milk, yogurt, cream and cheese. On Palm Sunday, people wear head bands and rings made of palm leaves with crosses marked on them. The first Easter Day service actually starts at 8.00pm on Easter Saturday night and lasts until 3.00 am on Easter Sunday morning! Most people go to the whole service and wear their best clothes. These are often white and are called 'Yabesha Libs'. People have candles made of cotton and wax called 'twaf'. At 10.00 pm drummers start playing and accompanying the Priests as they chant a prayer called the 'Geez'. After the service, people go back to their homes have a breakfast to celebrate the end of Lent with a 'dabo' sour-dough bread. It is traditional that the bread is cut by a priest or by the head man in the family.

The main Easter meal is eaten in the afternoon. The meal normally consists of a sour dough pancake called 'injera' and it is eaten with a mutton or lamb stew called 'beg wot'.

Easter in the United Kingdom

One of the most famous was of starting Lent, and so the Easter celebrations, in the U.K. is by holding Pancake races. In Minehead, the town where I live, the main street used to be closed on the evening of Shrove Tuesday and lots of people took part in the races. You ran down the road while tossing and trying not to drop your pancake! Sadly, due to very expensive insurance (in case people fell over and hurt themselves!) it's not done any more in Minehead. On Mothering Sunday, which is always the Sunday in the middle of Lent in the U.K., special services are held in churches to thank God for Mums. Flowers such as Daffodils and Primroses are often given to mums to say thank you for all the hard work they do! It is also traditional that Mums get the day of house work and might even have breakfast in bed! In old times, when a lot of people had servants, Mothers Day was when maids and servant could go home and see their parents and especially Mothers. A Simnel cake was traditionally made to take home to save the maid's mothers baking for Mothers Day. Simnel cake is still eaten today on Mothers Day. Here's a recipe for Simnel Cake. People who go to Church on Palm Sunday, often receive a small cross made of palm leaves blessed by the priest or minister. One very famous U.K. Easter tradition is the giving out of 'Maundy Money' by the Queen on Maundy Thursday. Centuries ago it was tradition that the reigning King or Queen would wash the feet of a few of poor people, the number of people being the same as the monarch's age. This was to remember that Jesus washed his disciples feet before the Last Supper. Over the years the tradition has changed. Now the Queen, carrying a small pomander or bouquet of sweet herbs, gives little purses of money to a few chosen men and women. The coins are special little silver pennies and the purses are made of soft leather and are closed with a drawstring. The ceremony is held at Westminster Abbey, in London, every other year. In the years when it isn't held at Westminster Abbey, the Queen distributes the Maundy Money at different cathedrals in the country. In York, traditional Passion Plays are still performed for the public. The plays are often performed in the Old English language they were first performed in during medieval times. You can sometimes understand some words, but a lot of them are completely unrecognisable! A lot of Churches hold special Good Friday services. Sometimes the congregation is lead to the church by a person or group of people carrying a large wooden cross. This reminds them that Jesus died on a cross on Good Friday.

It is thought to be lucky if you plant your Parsley and Potatoes on Good Friday, the parsley should be planted by a woman! But I don't think this makes much sense as the date changes every year, so the crops might not grow as well! Decorating Easter Eggs is a common tradition in the U.K., particularly in the North of England, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Ireland. Decorated Eggs are sometimes called 'pace eggs' in these areas. The word pace comes from the word 'pasche' meaning Passover. The first person in the U.K. to receive an official Easter Egg was Henry VIII. The Egg was sent by the Pope. Lots of unusual sports happen at Easter time in the U.K. A Bottle Kicking Match, between the villages of Hallaton and Medbourne, in Leicestershire, take place on Easter Monday. The bottles are actually three small barrels - two contain beer and one is empty. One of the full barrels is placed on landmark called the Hare Pie Bank - and each team tries to get it down their own side of the ridge and across the stream that rings the playing area. Whichever teams wins gets the barrel - and the beer inside! Then game is then played with the empty barrel, and the winners get the second barrel of ale! Also on Easter Monday, lots of people take part in egg-rolling competitions. The rules are often different from place to place. At Preston, in Lancashire, children roll coloured hard-boiled eggs down the grass slopes in the local park. The winner is the person whose egg is the first to the bottom that is unbroken. On the island of Harris, in Scotland, you are supposed to get good luck for the rest of the year if your egg gets to the bottom of the hill unbroken. In some places it's the egg that rolls the farthest that is the winner. Easter in England
Easter it is a time for the giving and receiving of presents which traditionally take the form of an Easter egg and hot cross buns. The Easter egg is by far the most popular emblem of Easter, but fluffy little chicks, baby rabbits and spring time flowers like daffodils, dangling catkins and the arum lily are also used to signify the Nature's awakening. Nowadays Easter eggs are usually made of chocolate or marzipan or sugar. True Easter eggs are hard-boiled, dyed in bright colours, and sometimes elaborately decorated. Colouring and decorating the festival eggs seems to have been customary since time immemorial They can be dipped into a prepared dye or, more usually, boiled in it, or they may be boiled inside a covering of onion peel Natural dyes are often used for coloring today. They are obtained from flowers, leaves, mosses, bark, and wood-chips.

Egg-rolling is a traditional Easter pastime which still flourishes in Britain. It takes place on Easter Sunday or Monday, and consists of rolling coloured, hard-boiled eggs down a slope until they are cracked and broken after which they are eaten by their owners. In some districts this is a competitive game. But originally egg-rolling provided an opportunity for divination. Each player marked his or her egg with an identifying sign and then watched to see how it sped down the slope. If it reached the bottom unscathed, the owner could expect good luck in the future, but if it was broken, unfortune would follow before the year was out, Eating hot cross buns at breakfast on

Good Friday morning is a custom which is also flourishing in most English households. Formerly, these round, cakes marked with a cross, eaten hot, were made by housewives who rose at dawn; for the purpose, or by local bakers who worked through the night to have them ready for delivery to their customers in time for breakfast. There is an old belief that the true Good Friday bun that is, one made on the anniversary itself never goes moldy, if kept in a dry place. It was once also supposed to have curative powers, especially for ailments like dysentery, diarrhea, whooping cough, and the complaint known as "summer sickness". Within living memory, it was still quite usual in country districts for a few buns to be hung from the kitchen ceiling until, they are needed. When illness came the bun was finely grated and mixed with milk or water, to make a medicine, which the patient drank.

Easter in Ukraine
In Ukraine, Easter is called Velikden (The Great Day). It has been celebrated over a long period of history and has many rich folk traditions that are no longer fully preserved. The last Sunday before Easter (Palm Sunday) is called Willow Sunday (Verbna nedilia). On this day pussy-willow branches are blessed in the church. The people tap one another with these branches, repeating the wish: Be as tall as the willow, as healthy as the water, and as rich as the earth. The week before Easter, the Great Week (Holy Week), is called the White or Pure Week. During this time an effort is made to finish all fieldwork before Thursday, since from Thursday on work is forbidden. On the evening of Pure (also called Great or Passion [Strasnyi]) Thursday, the passion (strasti) service is performed, after which the people return home with lighted candles. Maundy Thursday, called the Eater of the dead in eastern Ukraine and Russia, is connected with the cult of the dead, who are believed to meet in the church on that night for the Divine Mass.

On Passion (Strasna) Friday Good Friday no work is done. In some localities, the Holy Shroud (plashchanytsia) is carried solemnly three times around the church and, after appropriate services, laid out for public veneration. For three days the community celebrates to the sound of bells and to the singing of spring songs vesnianky. Easter begins with the Easter matins and high mass, during which the pasky (traditional Easter breads) and pysanky and krashanky (decorated or colored Easter eggs) are blessed in the church. Butter, lard, cheese, roastsuckling pigs, sausage, smoked meat, and little napkins containing poppy seeds, millet, salt, pepper, and horseradish are also blessed. After the matins all the people in the congregation exchange Easter greetings, give each other krashanky, and then hurry home with their baskets of blessed food. The pysanky and krashanky are an old pre-Christian element and have an important role in the Eater rites. They are given as gifts or exchanged as a sign of affection, and their shells are put in water for the rakhmany (peaceful souls); finally, they are placed on the graves of the dead or buried in graves and the next day are taken out and given to the poor. Related to the exchange of krashanky is the rite of sprinkling with water, which is still carried on in Western Ukraine. During the Easter season in Ukraine and Russia the cult of the dead is observed. The dead are remembered on Maundy Thursday and also during the whole week after Easter. For the commemoration of the dead (provody) the people gather in the cemetery by the church, bringing with them a dish containing some food and liquor or wine, which they consume, leaving the rest at the graves.

Easter in Bulgaria
Great and Holy Thursday (Veli chetvortok). This is the day when the Easter red eggs are colored (vapsuvat). People take one of their red eggs to church for the service of the 12 Passion Gospels. After the service they bury the egg in the vineyard so that God keeps them

from hailstorms (gradushka) and to give them a good harvest (beriket). People believe that a Holy Thursday egg would last that way all year. Great and Holy Friday (Veli petok). On Great and Holy Friday each family always buys a new pottery dish. The Easter markets are generally very busy on Good Friday. On March 25, Annunciation (sv. Blagoveshtenie), pumpkins are planted in Ohrid. They believe that pumpkins planted on that day will be very sweet. In Samokov on that day young ladies (malkite momi) bake for the first time sweet donuts (karvaycheta) with honey and sugar, as they do in Ohrid on Holy Thursday, and they call it (in Samokov) "sweet bread" ("sladko /blago/ pogache"). Easter (Velikden). One or two days before Easter each Christian family would send presents to their Turkish friends: a loaf of bread and 10-15 red eggs. The Turks feel honored by the gifts. If they don't receive it, they feel offended. The person who delivers, usually receives a little money in thanks. During all of these days each Christian family also makes special bread (kolacheta) which is specially decorated for the children. Until recently there was a tradition that a hostess gives a red egg to every guest during Easter. Today the tradition remains only for the children who are very happy to get an egg as a present. During the Easter week children, and, in old times adults too, play (se tolchkat or se k`rshat) with the eggs, trying to break each other. Whoever breaks (sk`rshi) the egg of the opponent, gets it as a prize. The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter (or Pascha) for the Orthodox Christians all over the world. Nowadays other colors are used as well (not for political reasons only). The eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The Easter breads are a worldwide Orthodox tradition as well. They are big and small and decorated. "Kolacheta" is the right term to use. Other Bulgarian word is "kozunak". No English translation for these. One of these breads is specially decorated and one or more (but odd number) red egg is incrustated in it. This bread is taken to church on Saturdy evening when a special sequence of services takes place: Midnight Office, Rush Procession, Matins & Divine Liturgy. These are actually the services of Great and Holy Pascha (Velikden). After the service the clergy blesses the breads and eggs brought by the people and they take them home. Such breads and eggs are presented not only to the Turkish friends as it is in the story, but especially to the Spiritual parents (God parents, krustnitcite) and to the biological parents and also to other relatives, friends, etc. The eggs are cracked after the midnight service and during the next days. One egg is cracked on the wall of the church (and this is the first egg eaten after the long Great Fast). The ritual of cracking the eggs takes place before the Easter lunch. People take turns tapping the eggs together and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck. The traditional Orthodox Paschal greeting is: "Christ is Risen!" The answer is: "Indeed He is Risen". This is the greeting during 40 days after Pascha. Also, These greetings are exchanged during the tapping of the eggs, mentioned above: They are repeated 3 times and the actual tapping is after that. As you can see the Bulgarian Easter traditions are a variant of Orthodox Easter traditions. I am sure there are some unique Bulgarian touches but I am not in a position to identify them without more serious study.

Easter in Mexico

For Mexico, Easter is a combination of Semana Santa (Holy Week - Palm Sunday to Easter Saturday) and Pascua (Resurrection Sunday until the following Saturday). For most Mexicans, this 2 week period is THE time of year for vacation (good time to not be on the highways - just stay put and enjoy the community of your choice during this holday season). Semana Santa celebrates the last days of the Christ's life. Pascua is the celebration of the Christ's Resurrection. It is also the release from the sacrifices of Lent. In many communities, the full Passion Play is enacted from the Last Supper, the Betrayal, the Judgement, the Procession of the 12 Stations of the Cross, the Crucifixion and, finally, the Resurrection. In some communities, flagellation and/or real crucifixion is included. The enactments are often wonderously staged, costumed and acted, with participants preparing for their roles for nearly the full year leading up to Semana Santa.

Easter in Mexico

In Mexico, Easter consists of two weeks and two different festivals; Semana Santa, Holy Week - Palm Sunday to Easter Saturday, and Pascua the period from Easter (Resurrection) Sunday to the following Saturday. This is a popular time for people go on holiday. Many people visit their family and friends around the country. Semana Santa is often celebrated more than Pascua. Semana Santa starts with Palm Sunday. People buy special elaborately woven palms from outside churches, and worshipers follow the priest into the Church with their woven palms. After the service, the palms are traditionally hung on the doors of Mexican houses to ward off evil. During Semana Santa, many towns and villages re-enact the events of Holy week using Passion Plays. It is an honour to play Jesus in the play, and the person has to prepare for a whole year before Easter. The actor also has to be very fit as he has to carry a cross that weighs about 200lbs. The most famous passion play takes place in the town of Iztapalapa where every one in the town is involved in the play in some way. The first passion play was performed in Iztapalapa in 1833 following a cholera epidemic. In some places there are also early morning parades on each morning of Holy Week, with Good Friday being the most sombre. Large status of Jesus and Mary are carried through the streets. On Easter Sunday morning, the start of Pascua, there is great celebration. Many people in Mexico are Catholics and they will go to Church for the special Easter Day Mass. Some towns have a fun fair type atmosphere in the town plaza (or square) after the morning service with food stall, toys and even fun fair rides!

Easter in Brazil

One of the biggest carnivals in the world happens in Rio de Janeiro at the Mardi Gras or Shove Tuesday celebrations to start Lent. The streets are filled, over several days leading up to Shrove Tuesday, with large processions of people marching, singing and dancing. People taking part in the parade dress up in very bright exotic clothes. Sometimes the costumes are made on large wire structures so the people wearing them look very big, like butterflies or birds. There are big floats, with stands for singing and dancing on built into cars or lorries that take part in the parade, they are decorated as brightly as the people and help make the procession look amazing! The most popular place to watch the parade is on the Marqus de Sapuca Avenue, often called the 'Sambdromo' or 'Avenida do Samba' that mean Samba Avenue (the samba is a popular Brazilian dance). Apart from the main organised carnivals, there are small groups of people who go round the streets singing and dancing known as 'blocos' or 'bandas'. People from the local streets will often join the processions until a party starts! The Rio carnivals started over 250 years ago when the Portuguese settlers bought form of carnival called 'entrudo' with them. It consisted of people throwing flour and water over each other! In 1856 the police banned entrudo carnivals because they were becoming violent and lots of people were getting hurt. This is when the carnival, like it is today, started. From the turn of the 20th century, people started to write fun marching songs to be sung during the carnival processions. When cars started becoming more widely available, they were made part of the carnival as away of displaying the performers. These grew into the large carnival floats that take part today.