This is a portion of the Superintendent’s Update by Superintendent Cliff Chuang mailed to Bedford Public School community on Friday, Feb. 9. Please find this week’s full issue of Superintendent’s Update and back issues at bedfordps.org.
Carnival Reflection by Susan Bairos, Davis School Teacher
Carnival is a public festival that takes place in many cities and towns in many countries around the world. It is in February or March each year.
Carnival can sometimes last for several weeks. In some places, there is only one day of celebration. There are often street parades, bands/music, costumes and many people wear masks.
Carnival is linked to religious traditions in the Catholic churches, and it is also linked to local customs from around the world.
In South America, especially Brazil, Carnival is one of the most important holidays of the year. It is considered to be the biggest carnival in the world with two million people per day on the streets.
The first Carnival festival in Rio de Janeiro occurred in 1723. Haitian Carnival (Haitian Creole: Kanaval, French: Carnaval) is a celebration held over several weeks each year leading up to Mardi Gras.
Haitian Defile Kanaval is the Haitian Creole name of the annual Mardi Gras carnival held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The parade is known as “Kye Marn.”
My family immigrated from the Azores, Portugal and I grew up within a strong Portuguese community in Massachusetts. I have had the pleasure of celebrating carnival yearly at the Portuguese club with masquerade dances, special group performance, lively music and delicious food, malasada – a fried dough special dessert.
I’m so excited to share the celebration of carnival with the newcomers at the Davis School. Many of them and their families celebrate the holiday. It is something that we have in common and with so many new experiences for the newcomers, it is a wonderful opportunity for them to share their culture with their classmates and new school.
Learn more via this interactive infographic.
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