Carnival 2011 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

theatlantic.com 

Carnival Season for 2011 is nearing its end. All over the world, celebrations are held as a final party before the fasting of Lent, as a way to usher out the winter and welcome spring. Across Europe and the Americas, parades and festivals have been taking place for nearly a month, culminating in the largest, most famous party of all: the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The festivities in Rio continue until tomorrow, March 8th. Gathered below are images from the past several weeks of carnivals around the globe.

A Unidos da Tijuca samba school dancer performs during a carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Monday March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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Naomi Cabrera Pulido, wearing a creation called "A hundred years of history" by Spanish designer Leo Martinez, reacts after being crowned queen in the annual carnival queen election gala at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, March 2, 2011. (REUTERS/Santiago Ferrero) #

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An entertainer dressed as a harlequin performs during a parade at the Barranquilla's carnival in Colombia March 5, 2011. (REUTERS/Jose Miguel Gomez) #

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A woman dances amid orange smoke during the "Bloco da Lama", or Mud Block carnival group parade in Paraty, Brazil, Saturday, March 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) 

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