Last week was Carnaval in the Netherlands (and lots of the world). I had never experienced Carnaval before, so I did a little research on it.
Originally, Carnaval was a prelude to Lent. Lent is a Christian celebration before Easter. Many Christians (especially Catholics) give up meat, dairy, and/or alcohol during Lent (or certain days of Lent).
Well, back before fridges and freezers, people couldn’t easily save meat and dairy they already had. So, they would eat it up in the days before Lent. Not really a celebration, just not letting the food go to waste.
Gradually, it turned into a bit of a celebration, then a big celebration, then indulgence before Lent, sort of a splurge before the fast.
However, over time the fasting for Lent has diminished, and few people in the Netherlands celebrate Lent at all anymore. So, in the end we’re left with the splurge, indulgence, and gluttony of Carnaval without the religious aspects of Lent afterwards.
That being said, Carnaval was still pretty cool to experience. More in my next post.
Dutch Bentleys 