Carnival around the world

The Gilles of Binche take part in the carnival parade in Binche March 8, 2011. The Binche carnival, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage event, is the biggest and the liveliest annual event in Belgium. Up to 1,000 Gilles parade in the city centre of Binche, wearing a red, yellow and black medieval costume hung with bells and decorated with fluffy lace at the neck, wrists and ankles. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (BELGIUM - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Rex, the King of Carnival rides in the Krewe of Rex as he arrives at Canal St. along St. Charles Ave. on Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Lee Chance laughs as he shows off his collection of beads that he caught during the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, March 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Revelers of the Salgueiro samba school participate in the second night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

A masquerader from the band \"What I Saw\" presented by Robert Lakhan poses on the stage on Carnival Monday at Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Tags: SOCIETY)

Revellers dressed as clowns participate in a carnival parade in Sesimbra village March 7, 2011. The clown parade in Sesimbra village became a tradition after a world record for the biggest clown march was set in 2004. REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro (PORTUGAL - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Revellers of the Porto da Pedra samba school participate in the second night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY)

Brazilian pop singer Roberto Carlos (R) waves from atop a float of the Beija-flor samba school on the second night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Revellers kiss on a street during the Carnival of Sao Luis do Paraitinga, 170 km (106 miles) from Sao Paulo, March 7, 2011. The event is part of the ongoing Carnival celebrations taking place across the country. REUTERS/Nacho Doce (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Revelers of the Salgueiro samba school participate in the second night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome March 7, 2011. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY)

Revelers of Uniao da Ilha samba school perform at the Sambadrome on March 7, 2011 during the second night of carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Uniao da Ilha lost fancy dresses and floats in a fire that took place three weeks ago. Rio's two nights of famously extravagant Carnival parades began late on March 6 in a burst of fireworks and to the cheers of festival goers who have been partying on the streets for days. The processions, featuring near-naked dancing queens, spectacularly imaginative floats and thousands of extras, were being held before a stadium crowd of 70,000 and an international broadcast audience. TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO/VANDERLEI ALMEIDA (Photo credit should read VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of Uniao da Ilha samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Members of Uniao da Ilha samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A reveler of Uniao da Ilha samba school performs at the Sambadrome on March 7, 2011 during the second night of carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Uniao da Ilha lost fancy dresses and floats in a fire that took place three weeks ago. Rio's two nights of famously extravagant Carnival parades began late on March 6 in a burst of fireworks and to the cheers of festival goers who have been partying on the streets for days. The processions, featuring near-naked dancing queens, spectacularly imaginative floats and thousands of extras, were being held before a stadium crowd of 70,000 and an international broadcast audience. AFP PHOTO/VANDERLEI ALMEIDA (Photo credit should read VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Dancers perform on their Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school float during a carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday March 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Revelers perform during carnival celebrations in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday March 6, 2011. In 2003 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, declared Barranquilla's carnival as a \"Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.\" (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Imperatriz Leopoldinense dancers perform during their carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday March 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A fire breather performs during a carnival parade in Santo Domingo on March 6, 2011. TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO / ERIKA SANTELICES (Photo credit should read ERIKA SANTELICES/AFP/Getty Images)

REFILE - ADDING BYLINE A girl participates in the Red Cross Children's Carnival competition at Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad February 26, 2011. REUTERS/Andrea de Silva (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)

Latvian-born artist Kathrina Asfardi performs with her flying piano at the Fenice theater in Venice late on March 5, 2011 during the \"Cavalchina,\" a historic annual Venetian carnival ball during the Venice Carnival. TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO / ANDREA PATTARO (Photo credit should read ANDREA PATTARO/AFP/Getty Images)

A carnival reveller celebrates the traditional Rose Monday carnival parade in the western German city of Duesseldorf March 7, 2011. The Rose Monday parades in Cologne, Mainz and Duesseldorf are the highlight of the German street carnival season. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT)

A woman dances amid orange smoke during the 'Bloco da Lama', or Mud Block carnival group parade in Paraty, Brazil, Saturday, March 5, 2011. Brazil's official carnival is held this year March 4-8. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A horse is brought into the Fenice theater in Venice late on March 5, 2011 at the start of the \"Cavalchina,\" a historic annual Venetian carnival ball during the Venice Carnival. AFP PHOTO / ANDREA PATTARO (Photo credit should read ANDREA PATTARO/AFP/Getty Images)

People dressed in carnival costumes pose in San Marco square in Venice on March 5, 2011 during the annual Venice Carnival. AFP PHOTO / ANDREA PATTARO (Photo credit should read ANDREA PATTARO/AFP/Getty Images)

An aerial view of million of revellers during the \"Galo da Madrugada\"parade (Rooster of the Morning) in Recife, in the northern coastal state of Pernambuco, Brazil, March 5, 2011. REUTERS/Marcos Michael (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

People in the carnival clothes dance through in the street during a traditional parade to mark the end of the carnival period in southern port city of Limassol, 83 kilometers (52 miles) south of capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Sunday, March 6, 2010. Thousands of people gather every year to celebrate the Carnival in the streets. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

TOPSHOTS \"Empailles\" (Straw man) wearing a costume made of a jute bag stuffed with straw and scary mask walk through the streets of Evolene during a traditional carnival procession on March 6, 2011. \"Empailles\" along with \"Peluche\" who wear costumes made of animal skins and masks invade the streets of the village and scare residents with their broomsticks or their bells during carnival. TOPSHOTS / AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

A dancer performs during Carnival celebrations in Oruro, western Bolivia, Saturday, March 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

REFILE - CORRECTING YEAR Carnival revelers look at a float depicting Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Socrates (L) and Spain's Jose Zapatero threatened by an \"IMF beast\" during the parade on the streets of Torres Vedras March 6, 2011. Torres Vedras village carnival organization devoted 2011 carnival to the subject \"The Jungle\". REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro (PORTUGAL - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY)

epa02616797 A girl in a costume is pictured during the Malostranky carnival parade in Prague, Czech Republic, 05 March 2011. The Prague carnival runs until 08 March 2011. EPA/FILIP SINGER

A reveler performs during Carnival festivities in Baranquilla, Colombia on March 5, 2011. The Carnival of Barranquilla was declared to be a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003. TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO/Joaquin SARMIENTO (Photo credit should read Joaquin SARMIENTO/AFP/Getty Images)

People dance during a \"Ceu na Terra\" street parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, March 5, 2011. The five-day annual carnival celebration officially started Friday and is expected to draw about 756,000 visitors, both foreign and Brazilian, who will pack hotels to nearly 100 percent capacity and spend about $559 million, according to Rio state's tourism department. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Revellers of the Vai-Vai samba school dance atop a float during the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome, as part of Carnival celebrations in Sao Paulo early on March 5, 2011. Brazil's Carnival kicked off on the eve with millions of people taking to the streets of the northeastern city of Salvador de Bahia to dance and party, effectively putting the nation on a week-long hiatus. AFP PHOTO/Mauricio LIMA (Photo credit should read MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images)

epa02612575 Carnival goers celebrate the opening of the carnival in Lucerne, Switzerland, 03 March 2011. For five days the traditional carnival will be celebrated in the city of Lucerne. EPA/SIGI TISCHLER

Revelers perform during the 'Mameludicos Euforicos' street carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, March 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

People dressed in carnival costumes pose in San Marco square in Venice on February 27, 2011 during the annual Venice Carnival. AFP PHOTO/ANDREA PATTARO (Photo credit should read ANDREA PATTARO/AFP/Getty Images)

A nominee for Queen of the Santa Cruz carnival shows off her outfit to a jury at Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife on March 2, 2011. AFP PHOTO / DESIREE MARTIN (Photo credit should read DESIREE MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images)

JACMEL, HAITI - FEBRUARY 27: Women dressed in party attire prepare to participate in a parade during carnival weekend in Jacmel, Haiti, February 27, 2011. This year's celebration was met with mixed emotion as the memory of the 2010 earthquake, which forced the cancellation of last year's event, loomed large. (Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images)

A giant carnival float called ReXpubblica showing a mask of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi while parades during the annual carnival of Viareggio on February 20, 2011. AFP PHOTO / Fabio Muzzi (Photo credit should read FABIO MUZZI/AFP/Getty Images)

Women from Orinoca town, where Bolivia's President Evo Morales was born in, participate in the Anata Andina (Andean carnival) in Oruro March 3, 2011. Hundreds of ethnic groups from Oruro province participated in the carnival. REUTERS/David Mercado (BOLIVIA - Tags: SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

The Queen of Nice's float takes part in a parade of the 127th Nice carnival on February 19, 2010 in Nice, southeastern France. The 127th edition of the Nice's Carnival, celebrating the \"Mediteranean King\", rans until March 8, 2011. TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO / SEBASTIEN NOGIER (Photo credit should read SEBASTIEN NOGIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Young girls and their dogs parade through the French Quarter during the Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. The parade of dogs and their owners, a twist on the Krewe of Bacchus, benefits animal welfare organizations. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

epa02612574 A carnival goer celebrates the opening of the carnival in Lucerne, Switzerland, 03 March 2011. For five days the traditional carnival will be celebrated in the city of Lucerne. EPA/SIGI TISCHLER

A float depicting United States President Barack Obama with his hat topped off by a man masked as al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, and entitled 'Barack-Adabra and the Great Circus of the Fleas' is shown at the traditional Viareggio Carnival parade in Viareggio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Paolo Lazzeroni)

epa02552881 Members of group Cuareim 1080 participate in a parade to inaugurate the Carnival of Uruguay, in center Montevideo, Uruguay, 27 January 2011. The Carnival in Uruguay is one of the longest in the world, with more than 80 days of celebration, generally occurring in January through mid March, with celebrations in Montevideo being the largest and brightiest. EPA/IVAN FRANCO

epa02602976 A dressed up participant stands on the market square during the 26th Samba Carnival in Bremen, Germany, 26 February 2011. Samba groups from all over Germany take part in the street carnival. EPA/CARMEN JASPERSEN

A dancer of Uniao da Ilha samba school performs while parading during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Revelers reach out for items thrown by riders on a float in the Rex parade as it makes its way down St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, March 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)