Dance, Dance, Dance!

          Ever heard of Carnival, or Carnaval as they say in Brazil? Well, 'tis the season! Carnival is a festive occasion full of fun and excitement, and it is celebrated all over the world, just before Lent (a religious observance of the liturgical calendar of many Christian denominations that begins on Ash Wednesday. In New Orleans, for example, many people participate in Mardi Gras, or fat Tuesday. All these festivities usually take place in February or early March, and in Brazil Carnaval is often a week or more! Brazil is famous for its huge city-wide party in the streets, filled with music, dance, art, costumes, you name it. Next year I'll be going to Carnaval in Salvador, the biggest carnaval in the world! Excited you ask? Ummm, yeah. You could say that :)

          Here's a little information about Salvador and Carnaval:

          Although I'm not in Brazil quite yet, I've been hearing a lot about it lately. Every time someone mentions Brazil, or I hear about something going on over there on the news, I  get that much more excited to go! The suspense is killing me!

          But for now all I can do celebrate at home. I have a wonderful aunt who spent part of her childhood down in New Orleans, and today she gave me some mardi gras beads, which I'm wearing tonight while I write this. I've got a gold, a green, and a purple. Maybe you'll find a little way to celebrate carnaval, too. If you do, I'd certainly love to hear about it, so leave a comment, okay? Tonight I'll dream of Carnaval Salvador da Bahia. Goodnight everyone!

* If want to say goodbye in Portuguese, it's tchau. You could also say até logo, meaning see you soon, até mais, meaning see you later, or até amanhã, meaning see you tomorrow.