SYDNEY, Australia - ʻO ka manawa e pāʻani ai i ka hale haʻuki, huki i ka spandex a me ka lepo mai ka ʻeke ʻālohilohi - kona manawa Mardi Gras! ʻOi aku ia ma mua o nā lana i kāhiko nui ʻia a ʻaʻahu nā kānaka (ma hope o) ʻaʻohe mea - he hoʻolauleʻa, ʻike moʻomeheu a, ʻoiaʻiʻo, he pāʻina maikaʻi. Ua hoʻolaha ʻia nā wahi maikaʻi loa e hoʻoulu ai i ka vibe o ka Mardi Gras i ka makahiki 2011 (a komo pū paha) i kēia lā.

New Orleans, Louisiana – He ʻaha mele kaulana kēia ʻelua pule i alakaʻi ʻia e 'Kings' a me 'Queens', e alakaʻi ana i nā ʻauwaʻa i mālama ʻia e nā krewes, nāna e hoʻolei i nā mea ʻono i ka lehulehu e laina ana i nā alanui. ʻO ka hopena ka hopena o ka lā Mardi Gras e hāʻule i ka lā 8 o Malaki o kēia makahiki (ʻike ʻia ʻo Fat Tuesday), ke nalowale nā palena a pau. Ke noʻonoʻo nei ʻo ka lā aʻe he Pōʻakolu ʻeleʻele ʻoi aku ka ʻino (ʻo ka lā mua o ka Lent, i ka wā e lanakila ai ka ʻai ʻana), ʻo ka Pōʻalua momona ke kumu hope loa no ka kukuli ʻana i luna a kiola i lalo.

Sydney, Australia - Ma waena o ka hiʻohiʻona kosmopolitan o Sydney, ke awa nani a me nā kahakai gula, ʻaʻohe wahi maikaʻi aʻe no ka huakaʻi honua. I ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka napoʻo ʻana o ka lā i ka lā 5 o Malaki, ʻo ka pō ʻo Mardi Gras, ke kūkulu nei ka ikehu ma ke ʻano he mau haneli haneli o ka poʻe mākaʻikaʻi e laina ana i nā alanui, uila me ka manaʻo. I kēia manawa, hui pū nā tausani o ka poʻe i komo i ka parade, ʻālohilohi a nānā i kā lākou neʻe ʻana o ka hula ma mua o ka pahū ʻana i ke alanui ʻo Oxford ma kekahi o nā hoʻolauleʻa hoʻolauleʻa ʻoi loa o ka honua. I ka makahiki 2011, ua paipai ʻia nā mea komo a pau e "Say Something". E kakali i nā hiʻohiʻona e ʻakaʻaka ai ʻoe a hoʻopiha iā ʻoe me ka makemake, kahi ʻano anuenue ʻoi aku ma mua o 100 mau lana ʻino, nā lole nani, ka hoʻolālā nani a me ka hula hihiu.

Rio de Janeiro, Palakila - ʻAʻohe papa inoa o Mardi Gras e piha me ka ʻole o ka haʻi ʻia ʻana o ka ʻahaʻaina kaulana loa, e kū nei a puni ʻo Brazil (a me ka hapa nui o ʻAmelika Hema), i kapa ʻia ʻo Carnaval, mai Malaki 4-8 o kēia makahiki. Hoʻokūkū nā kula samba a pau o ka ʻāina ma nā ʻano like ʻole o ka ʻaʻahu, ka hula a me ke kuʻi (drumming). Hoʻokani ʻo Sambodromo kaulana o Rio i ka pāʻani Samba nui, me nā kula e hoʻāʻo nei e ʻoi aku kekahi i kekahi me nā lana, nā lole a me ka hula. Ua piha pū ke kūlanakauhale i nā parade alanui i kapa ʻia ʻo bandas, e hele a puni ka hapa nui o nā kaiāulu o Rio.

ʻO Cologne a me Dusseldorf, Kelemānia - ʻO Mardi Gras, i kapa ʻia ʻo Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) hāʻule i ka lā Malaki 7 o kēia makahiki. Hoʻomaka ka ʻahaʻaina i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka Lent a hoʻolauleʻa ʻia ma ka hapa nui o nā ʻāina ʻōlelo Kelemānia o ʻEulopa, akā ʻoi aku ka ikaika ma nā 'paʻa carnival' o Rhineland. ʻO ka hoʻolauleʻa maʻamau, ʻo nā lole nani, ka hula, nā parade, ka inu nui (ʻoiaʻiʻo) a me nā hōʻike ākea me nā lana.

Venice, Italia - Ua ʻōlelo ʻia ke kūlanakauhale o ka wai i ka Carnival nui loa ma ʻEulopa, kahi mau lā he ʻumi ma mua o ka Lent. Nui nā hanana i mālama ʻia ma nā kahawai me nā hōʻikeʻike, nā ʻahamele, nā hula, a me nā kaʻina wai me ka poʻe hoe e ʻaʻahu ana i nā maka ma nā moku i hoʻonani ʻia. Ma ka lā 8 o Malaki, e leʻaleʻa ka hopena hope loa ma Saint Mark's Square e hōʻike ana i kahi honi hui nui i ke aumoe, ka leʻaleʻa, a me ke ahi.

Toronto, Kanada- ʻAʻole makemake e haʻalele loa i ko lākou mau hoalauna ma ka hema, ua maʻamau a laha ʻia ka hoʻolauleʻa ʻana o Canadian Mardi Gras a puni ka ʻāina, ʻoi aku hoʻi ma Malaki 8 ma Toronto a me nā kūlanakauhale nui e like me Montréal a me Vancouver. ʻO ka moku'āinaʻo Quebec ka'ōlelo Farani kahi iʻoi aku ka hauʻoli o nā hoʻolauleʻa, me nā mele a me nāʻahaʻaina meaʻai, a me nā pāʻina alanui.

St. Louis, Missouri– Mai ka hoʻomaka ʻole ʻana, ʻoiai ua hoʻoholo ka poʻe ʻona ʻona o kahi pā ma ke kaiāulu Soulard e hele ma kahi pā ʻē aʻe, ua manaʻo ʻia ʻo St. Louis Mardi Gras i kēia manawa ʻo ka 2nd nui loa ma US, ma hope o New Orleans. Ma ka lā 8 o Malaki e hoʻokipa ʻia ai he ʻumi kaukani o nā mākaʻikaʻi a me nā mea leʻaleʻa kūloko. E pili ana i ka vibe o ka pāʻina - ʻo ka mea kākoʻo nui ʻo Budweiser beer a ʻo Southern Comfort bourbon e haʻi nui iā ʻoe i nā mea āpau e pono ai ʻoe e ʻike.

He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:

Toronto, Canada– Not wanting to totally miss out to their neighbors in the south, Canadian Mardi Gras celebrations are common and widespread throughout the country, especially on March 8 in Toronto and other major cities like Montreal and Vancouver.
Considering that the next day is a rather more somber Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent, when abstinence prevails), Fat Tuesday the ultimate excuse for a knees-up and a throw down.
The festival marks the beginning of Lent and is celebrated in most German speaking countries of Europe, but most actively in the ‘carnival strongholds’.