People all around the world like to party together and celebrate holidays. Carnivals are one of the best ways people can bring in a new season or commemorate an event. Carnival-goers dress up, party in the streets and enjoy great food and music. After taking a look at all the carnivals around the world, we've picked the best ten to share with you.

1)  The Berlin Culture Carnival
Established in 1996, this festival has already become Berlin's most popular public event. The Carnival is hosted once a year to celebrate all the different cultures that have come together in Berlin. 450,000 foreign residents from countries spread all over the world live in Berlin. Every year, over 3 million Germans and 500,000 tourists partake in the festival, and the numbers keep growing. Local specialties and international food, music and dance all combine to make this one of the best carnivals in the world. Held every spring, the carnival's main draw is a parade displaying nearly 80 different nations' cultures.

2)  The Cologne Carnival
The Cologne Carnival is known as the largest and wildest festival in Germany. The carnival is held right before Lent in order to give everyone one last chance for self-indulgence before the long forty days of self-restraint. Originally, participants would parade about wearing masks and helmets in order to frighten away evil spirits. This tradition continues to this day. During the carnival, the streets and hotels are packed with people in colorful and unique costumes marching up and down the roads singing and laughing together. Businesses all shut down so everyone can get a chance to join in. The parade, composed of tens of thousands of people, stretches on for five miles while even more people look on from the sidelines, eagerly waiting for gifts of candy that the performers throw into the crowd.

3)  Aalborg Carnival
Formed in 1982, the Danish city of Aalborg hosts this annual festival beginning in the twenty first week of the year. In the early days of the carnival, not many people attended. But after a few years, it soon ballooned into one of the biggest festivals in Northern Europe, growing every year. During the week, dozens of troupes from all around the world strut their stuff in an attempt to win the carnival committee's award for best performance. The carnival's activities are divided into four stages, including several different types of entertainment and performances. The carnival is preceded by a week-long children's festival. The streets and buildings are all decorated with fantastical paintings and colors in a children's style.  All the kids in the city are revved up and excited for the main carnival after having a blast during the children's festival.

4)  Basel Carnival
Basel is one of the oldest towns in Switzerland. Every year on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, people gather from all around the country to celebrate for 72 straight hours. In essence, the city is completely under the control of the revelers for these three days. The Swiss call these three days "the best days of the year." Regardless of how you normally dress, if you're at this festival, you have to be wearing something special. Participants also wear masks to hide their real identities. The masks are worn for all three days and cannot be removed.

5)  Quebec Winter Carnival
During the long, cold, monotonous months of Canadian winter, the Quebecois put together a massive party to liven everyone up. Known for its music, ice sculptures, cuisine, arts and crafts, boutique stores, dog-sledding, and sporting competitions, the winter carnival is one celebration you cannot afford to miss. One unique beverage is known to locals as the "North American Reindeer." Originally a drink French hunters used to keep warm, it has now become the standard drink locals give to guests. Even though the event is held while Quebec is still freezing cold, there are a lot of activities and food to get your blood pumping.

6)  Venice Carnival
The Venice Carnival is celebrated to greet the arrival of the new spring. The festival incorporates traditions, entertainment and history into one massive event that brings in people from every walk of life. The Venice Carnival, one of the most internationally acclaimed festivals, can trace its roots back to the fourteenth century, making it one of the oldest, continuously celebrated festivals in the world.  In the beginning of the celebration, participants use masks to hide their real identities so that both the upper class and the common people can intermingle without any barriers. Everyone can take part in the festival on an equal footing. Now the masks are one of the hallmarks of the event, with everyone trying to make theirs unique and interesting enough to attract their friends', family's, and strangers' attention.

7)  Caribbean Carnival
Originating from France, the Caribbean Carnival has carved out its own unique style. After French colonists and traders laid down their roots on several Caribbean islands, they brought with them countless slaves. The wealthy colonists would wear masks, fancy clothes and dance around to celebrate their good fortune. After the masters left, the African slaves would have their own celebration. When slavery was abolished, African descendants were permitted to partake in the major festival alongside the colonists. Together these two groups of people celebrate with even more exuberance and energy. This is truly a unique carnival experience.

 

8)  Nice Carnival
Yet another festival celebrated around the beginning of Lent, the Nice Carnival runs for two whole weeks before Ash Wednesday. Everyone, free from the constraints of their religious belief, sings and dances day and night. Masks are also a part of this ritual, and people are expected to complement their masks with even crazier outfits. Parades, French cuisine, wine and dances form the core events of the Nice Carnival. The parades run everyday, culminating in a line of over 20 flower cars carrying thousands of flowers driving down the main thoroughfare.

9)  Mardi Gras
When French immigrants moved to the Louisiana area in the 1830s, they brought with them many of their traditions. One of these traditions, Mardi Gras, is now one of the biggest festivals in the United States. Thousands of local residents fill the streets on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. This is the last day before Lent, the period of time during which religious rules become very strict, when people have a chance to go wild. Festivals like this take place all over the world, but Mardi Gras is by far and away the most famous. Year after year, Mardi Gras grows larger and wilder as thousands come to take advantage of a rare opportunity to celebrate and party with such a large group of exciting people.

10)  Carnival
The ultimate carnival is Brazil's world famous Carnival. Held before Ash Wednesday, Carnival is a celebration of the wonders of materialism. Starting four days before lent, Carnival is perhaps the most unique and exciting of all carnivals. The Samba competition is one of the main attractions, sporting some of the best dancers in the world. They practice and rehearse the whole year for this one amazing event.

Read the original in Chinese at ifeng.com

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