Carnivale in Venice, Karneval in Cologne and Fastnacht in southwestern Germany and northern Switzerland all share the tradition of feasting on all the food that could spoil during Lent -- the 40 day period of fasting prior to Easter. The word carnival is derived from the Latin "carne vale" or "farewell to meat." Actually the festivals have their roots in pagan celebrations, but the Christians successfully co-opted the traditions into their own liturgical calendar.

The artful masks of Carnivale in Venice are probably the most striking images of the festival. The masks are part of a long tradition of hiding one's identity while being naughty. The naughtiness generally starts in early January. Officially, that is.

In Germany Rosenmontag, the Monday before Lent, is the pinnacle of the festive season. The splashiest celebrations are in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz, although there are parades all along the towns on the Rhine River. Cologne's big parade kicked off in the middle of a snowstorm at 11:11 a.m. and featured a colorful and irreverent mix of floats making their way through the crowd of 1.4 million along the 6.5 km route. Some 150 tons of sweets were tossed into the crowd, including 700,000 chocolate bars and 22,000 boxes of pralines.
Towns in southwestern Germany and northern Switzerland celebrate what they call "Fastnacht" more according to the traditions of the Middle Ages. The mysterious-looking costumes are more traditional and represent fools, devils, wild people and witches.