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People all around the world love joining together and sharing good times through festivities and celebrations. Carnivals are celebrations marking significant times such as seasons or events across the world. Often times these carnivals will recognize religions or cultures and will be celebrated through parades, food, entertainment, music and costumes. There are hundreds of carnivals across the world, but there are a select few that have really gained in popularity over the years.

10] The Carnival of Cultures

Established in 1996 The Carnival of Cultures in Berlin, Germany has become one of the city’s most popular and anticipated events. The carnival is held each year to celebrate the diversity of cultures within the city. There are over 450,000 people living in Berlin that have settled there from all over the world. This makes the city very diverse in not only culture, but ethnicity and religion as well. With over 3 million residents from Germany and a half million in visitors, the festivities have gotten bigger and better each year. Unique foods and international cuisines, along with music and dancing have brought lots of attention to Berlin. Held during late spring, the carnival offers parades that recognize up to 80 different countries and cultures.

image sources: Flicker & AOL

There are also plenty of street music performances in the Kreuzberg district that offer entertainment for everyone. You can watch acrobatic acts, look at all types of folk art, listen to a wide variety of bands or just witness some of the amazing shows all around the city. There is plenty to do and see. The best part is no matter how unique your culture you are welcomed and recognized as an important part of the life in Berlin.

source: YouTube

9] The Fastnacht in Köln

The Fastnacht or Karneval, in Köln, Germany is known as the biggest and most crazy carnival around all the cities of Germany. The word Fastnacht means “fasting night” which resembles the celebrations held around the world in honor of the upcoming Lent season. However, the Karneval has also been linked back to the pagan times when the people would wear masks to rid the evil spirits of winter from the city. This is where the wearing of masks still plays a part in the theme of the carnival as well as to hide the people from their social status.

During the festival there are lots of street and pub parties everywhere and people are dressed in all sorts of costumes. There are costume balls, parades, dancing and music to be enjoyed. During this time all business comes to a halt and everyone joins together for laughter, singing and lots of crazy antics. The parade is one of the longest and stretches nearly 5 miles with thousands of spectators lining the streets to watch and catch the abundant candies thrown to the crowd. The people of Köln take their partying very seriously and expect everyone around to have a great time and lots of fun.

8] Carnival in Aalborg

In 1982, in northern Europe the Scandinavians decided it was time to have their own carnival and started the Carnival in Aalborg, Denmark. This carnival takes place the 21^st week of the year, or typically the last week in May. Although this carnival started out small, it has growing rapidly in popularity. During this week you can enjoy the Battle of the Carnival bands, where bands from local Scandinavia and all over the world come to perform their shows and be judged during the competition. There is also a Grand Parade that is remarkable and leads everyone down to the city park where there are lots of entertainers, samba music, and dancing.

source : here

There are typically four stages that have a collaboration of all types of entertainment and performances to enjoy. Part of the Carnival tradition is to have a Children’s Carnival the week prior to the Carnival of Aalborg when the streets are transformed into a wonderful and magical place for all children to enjoy. The people of Scandinavia know how to have a good time and feel it’s important to involve people from all ages as well as any people who would love to visit and join in on the celebration.

7] Basler Fastnacht or Carnival of Basel

Basler Fastnacht, or the Carnival of Basel, Switzerland is a carnival that actually starts the Monday after Ash Wednesday. It lasts exactly 72 hours and represents the time in which the town was ruled by the people. It has been referred to as the three most beautiful days in which the people can run through the streets and restaurants unrestricted. During the 72 hours of the carnival celebration, the town’s people wear awesome costumes and masks to hide their identity and it is actually considered inappropriate to show ones face during this time.

The carnival consists of marching bands, concerts, floats, lots of confetti, and beautiful lanterns. There are special events for everyone including a day especially for families and children. Although it can be enticing to take part in Carnival of Basel, it has been said that for visitors it can be an overwhelming experience. The traditions are so unique and different that only the locals may fully understand and appreciate them. With their own Basel dialect and their inside humor, it can become quite a culture shock. Everything is meant in fun, but be prepared for the concoction of humorous, yet dark and mediaeval undertones throughout the mix of festivities.

6] The Winter Carnival in Quebec

In Canada the winters can be harsh and long lasting. This is why the people of Quebec decided years ago that the winter is the best time to have a celebration. The Winter Carnival in Quebec City, has become another world famous celebration with ice sculptures, shops, music, arts and crafts, food, balls, dog sledding, canoe races, and much more. The famous drink the “Caribou” has been one of the biggest hits of all. Originating from when the French Trappers used to make this concoction to stay warm during the brutal winters, it has now been revised and is a delicious treat shared by many.

The motto of the carnival is to have as much fun as possible and the spirit during these few weeks in January and February is very uplifting for all locals and visitors alike. Although the temperatures can get very low during carnival time there are plenty of places to sneak into and get warm. The carnival mascot is Bonhomme Carnaval, which is French for “snowman”. This giant snowman in the red hat and belt is known as the official ambassador of the Winter Carnival and his knights, the knuks, keep the mood light and cheery for those of all ages.

5] The Carnival of Venice

The Carnival of Venice, in Venice, Italy is a festival that celebrates the transition from winter to spring and the mix of traditions, entertainment, and history throughout the Venetian city. As one of the most internationally popular carnivals, it is also one of the oldest, dating back into the 14^th century. In the beginning, the people of the city would wear masks to disguise themselves. This way there would be no social status shown between the upper class and the common people. By wearing masks everyone could take part in the celebration as equals. These masks are now known as the Venetian Masks and draw much attention. They require so much detail and time to make them so unique and beautiful that they are taken very seriously as a part of the celebration.

With grand balls, shows, dinners, parties, orchestras, cocktails and the amazing costumes and masks, this carnival attracts people from all over the world. Although a lot of the original carnival traditions have been lost over the years, it seems some of the newer ideas have evolved and have attracted lots of new people to visit this beautiful city. Unlike a lot of the other festivities that Venice has to offer this carnival is not kept such a secret.

4] The Carnival in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago

Also originated by the French, The Carnival in the Caribbean, in Trinidad and Tobago has become one of a kind. When the French came over and took root in the Caribbean they brought along with them their slaves and the idea of slavery. The rich settlers would celebrate their wealth through fantastic balls, where they’d were masks, wigs, beautiful gowns and dance the night away. While the masters were away, the Africans would celebrate on their own and once slavery ended and the Africans were able to take part in the celebrations, the traditions took on a new twist.

If you have ever been to the Caribbean you would already know that the people living there know how to have a good time. There is a whole new feeling on the islands in the Caribbean that you just cannot experience anywhere else. The Carnival of the Caribbean is no different. They take all their talent and energy and put it into the carnival and it shows. The Carnival is full of dancing, calypso and soca music, competing steel bands, costumes and great fun had by all. There is nothing more tropic than joining the festivities of the Caribbean.

3] The Carnival of Nice

The Carnival of Nice represents, once again, the fun filled days leading up to the beginning of Lent. In Nice, France, on the French Riviera, the two weeks prior to “Fat Tuesday” also known as Mardi Gras, are celebrated without the restrictions on the Catholic faith. Often dressed in masks and big headed caricature costumes, the people of Nice take this time to enjoy themselves, lighten up and take part in the feasts, drinks, dancing and parades across the city of Nice.

The parades are every day and night during the carnival and during the Battle of the Flowers there are 20 spectacular floats paraded down the streets covered in beautiful bouquets. The costumes and floats are so extraordinary that there is a committee assigned yearly to help plan the new and wonderful themes of the carnival. This is a time for unrestricted fun and wonderful times with a grand bonfire and fireworks ending the final day of the carnival. With plenty of entertainment from rock and techno concerts to gorgeous flowers filling the streets you can imagine how truly one of a kind this carnival really is. The Carnival of Nice has had over one million locals and tourists come to join the celebration and it continues to grow in popularity each year.

2] Mardi Gras

Brought to the United States by the French, Margi Gras dates back to the 1830’s and takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. It has become one of the most popular celebrations of the United States. Thousands of people flock to the city mid- February to help celebrate the time surrounding “Fat Tuesday.” This is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent that Catholics celebrate.  These festivities are also celebrated around the world, but have all taken a different spin.  Over the years, Mardi Gras has turned into more about celebrating different cultures and people that like to join in together to have a great time.

 

The carnival in New Orleans is especially known for its parties, amazing parade, beautiful floats, wonderful food, drinks, and the wearing of colorful beads. There are a few traditions associated with Mardi Gras and these include the making and eating of King Cakes, and acquiring doubloons and beads as souvenirs. The three reoccurring colors seen throughout the Mardi Gras celebration are Purple(representing Justice), Gold (representing Power) and Green (representing Faith).  While attending the Mardi Gras celebration you will be surrounded my jazz music, marching bands and elaborate costumes.

1] Carnival of Rio de Janeiro

Carnival of Rio de Janeiro located in Brazil started out similarly to Mardi Gras. However, the traditions of the carnival have taken a slightly different direction when it comes to events. The carnival is a four day celebration held the four days prior to Ash Wednesday. This carnival is considered a farewell to the pleasures of the flesh prior to Lent and the carnival preparation starts months in advance. The Samba Parade has been thought of as one of the most beautiful shows on earth.

Televised on international broadcasts there are samba groups competing in all night spectacular shows in the Sambodrome. These samba groups work endlessly rehearsing and perfecting their shows just for this special occasion. Also the Street carnival has over 400 groups, called Bandas and Blocos, throughout the neighborhoods that march, parade, dance and dress in costume. Each Banda or Bloco has its own theme and can move around the streets adding to the party atmosphere. Other traditions that are part of the carnival are the amazing parties and balls to attend. Also, it is not uncommon to see men dressed in drag walking along the streets as part of the fun.

 

As you can see, there are many different carnivals to be enjoyed around the world, and these only represent a select few.

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You might have seen people fighting with one mad bull, but have you seen people fighting with horses instead of riding on them? Spanish people do that in famous “Rapa das bestas” festival or “Wrestling with horse” festival.

Rapa das bestas is ancient Spanish festival in Galicia Spain, which is also termed as ‘Taming the Beasts’, in which men and women from all the ages wrestle untamed horses to the ground with their bare hands without any weapons and cut their manes and tails.

Today Rapa das bestas is a three day festival starting from first Saturday of July and most of the men and women of the village participate in the wrestling against around 600-700 horses of different breeds including stallions, mares, and foals. The meaning of “Rapa das bestas” is “the reaping of the horses” and it’s a tradition where people show their courage against these beasts. This festival is also celebrated to declare the village’s independence and virility.

A lot number of the horse hairs collected in festival are used in brushes and mattresses, and after end of the festival these horses are sent back up in to the hillsides again. Cruelty and death are strictly not part of this fiesta.

 

Even women don’t lag behind the men in the wrestling with horses and they fight with all their strengths in them.

 

 

The final goal of this wrestling is cutting the horse hairs – manes and tales.

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The high flying fantasy ideas from fable and myth like: Roc from Sinbad’s tales, the Garuda bird from the Indian Mahabharata, Thunderbird from North America, the Brazilian Blue Crow and other high-flying nightmares or soaring benevolent gods and spirits were in only human imagination for many years.

(futuristic art by Harry Grant Dart)

Then after few years of only imagination the skies were filled with sputtering, creaking, and – for the most part – very unreliable aeronautical devices. Many should be credited for this along with Write Brothers like Gustave Whitehead, Alexander Feodorovich Mozhaiski, Clement Ader and some more.

Image from records shows first flights of Wilbur write in circular fashion.

The First World War was the reason of advanced science of flight and necessitated bigger planes and it then changed the aircraft from a killing and maiming hobby for the rich to a killing and maiming war machine.

By the records Russky Vitaz was the first four engine aircraft developed at that time and after many more improvements Igor Sikorsky’s Ilya Murometz was the monster plane. But Ilya Murometz failed to begin as a beast of the skies; rather originally designed as a luxurious passenger liner featuring electric lighting, heat, a bathroom, and even a glass floor, the bomber must have been amusing as well as terrifying to its wealthy passengers.

(images credit: histarmar.com.ar)

Tupolev ANT-20 “Maxim Gorky” was another modified version of such approach:

 

 

And then from early 1930s: Ka-7 was the Russian monster plan, which was named after engineer Kalinin.

(images via Modelist-Konstruktor, 1989)

 

The K-7 was a gigantic elliptical wing of extremely thick airfoil (span 53m, area 452m²) with two triangle section tailbooms, carrying tailfin and tailplane with control mechanics. The wing had almost strait center (width 6m, length 10m, height 2.33m) where rooms for payload and people was arranged. Elliptical consoles with 14 fuel tanks were attached to the centroplane. The center was covered with duralumin, consoles with fabric. There were no such a thick tubes to comply with requirements of central spar so it was made of two parallel tubes. The rest of wings frame also was made of welded steel tubes.

As the war was getting nasty the airplanes were getting bigger and bigger. Another outcome of this was Norman Bel Geddes Airliner Number 4, consisting of 9 decks of luxury hotel accommodation, bars and engine rooms:

This plane was so huge for that time that 606 passengers could sleep in comfort, and easily bringing them across Atlantic. It seems to be a logical development of 1910s British Airliner of the Future:

(image home.att.net)

The “Freak of the Month” concept from Modern Mechanics, 1931 also can not be ignored:

(image credit: modernmechanix)

But if we get back from huge aviation concepts to reality, the elegant Handley Page HP42: a four-engined beauty with an impressive track record of no crashes while being used as an airliner for few years; can give us an exact idea about how safety at that time was never ignored.

(images via)

The 1936 Boeing Stratoliner, which was also called as ‘the flying whale’ because of its chubbiness was another awesome and beautiful aircraft. This plane was not only huge but a state of the art, and what we enjoy flying today in pressurized comfort is because of technology premiered in the silver flying fish of the Stratoliner.

The Stratoliner was arguably the most advanced operational aircraft in the early 1940s, for it also utilized power boosted control surfaces and geared two-speed engine superchargers and it was the first practical step on the journey to safe high altitude passenger flight

Another aircraft both immense and legendary – The H-4 Hercules. Arguably the standard by which “huge aircraft” are measured –- as well as how “completely screwed up” is defined. Its one and only flight was in 1947, where it flew for around a mile, reaching altitude of 70 feet. Originally planned as the ultimate military transport, it is more commonly known as its hated — at least by its creator Howard Hughes — moniker, the Spruce Goose.

(image credit: Bettman/CORBIS)

The aircraft had originally been ordered by the US government during World War II as a giant cargo plane for the armed troops and tanks. Howard Hughes’s creation was the world’s largest plane at the time and is still the largest flying boat ever built. It also holds records for the largest wingspan at 97.5 meters, tallest airplane at 24.2 meters, and the largest aircraft ever made from wood.

Nazi’s Ugly Brute

Art and elegance may have been one of the early fatalities in the second world war, but striving to have the biggest (anything) certainly wasn’t.

To call the Messerschmitt Me 321 big is like calling 1939 to 1945 unpleasant. Created originally as a glider, the Gigant could haul an insanely large amount of cargo. And an insane bunch of soldiers: 130 plus hardware … 23 tons of hardware.

(images via)

Because the Gigant was so huge, getting the damned thing into the air was, at best, problematic. First it was towed up with a pair of Heinkel 111 bombers, which was alternatively unsuccessful or disastrous. Then they tried fusing two 111s together to make a Frankenstein’s monster of a machine –- almost as bestial as the Gigant itself. Finally the Luftwaffe stuck engines on the Me321, which made an ugly brute even uglier but at least it got off the ground.

Heavy Bombers of the (Potential) Doomsday

On the other side of the war was an eagle, a silvery steel bird of prey: the huge and beautiful B-29 Superfortress. Although getting the immense B-29 up to its ceiling of 40,000 feet was a struggle, once it got up there nothing could reach it or, at 350 mph, catch it. Even if something managed to come close to it, its formidable defenses could cut any threat to shreds. Featuring many impressive advancements, and some frustrating problems, the plane was kept on active duty long into the Korean war.

(image via)

With the advent of jet power, aircraft designers began to think really big. Think of your average doomsday film and you immediately picture the roaring ascent of smoke-blasting, eight-engined, B-52 bombers. But before B-52 there was another huge American bomber: Convair B-36 “Peacemaker”:

(images via)

Like the B-29, the B-52 “Stratofortress” was an aeronautical powerhouse, a heavy-lifting behemoth. And like the B-52, it was kept in service until … well, they are still being used today.

(image source: US Air Force)

Heavy bombers transforming into LEGO pieces in the minds of dazed Cold War engineers:

Arthur Kimes writes to us: “Soviets also proposed to stick together a bunch of big airplanes to make a REALLY huge one. Kind of like a Lego dream come true: In the early-mid 1950s the USAF had a plan to link 3 B-36s (wingtip to wingtip) to have a extended range delivery system. When this behemoth got close enough to the Soviet Union each would drop off a parasite fighter-bomber (probably the F-92 – which also was never built) and the released FBs would make a high-speed dash and drop a bomb on their targets. The B-36s would split up and return, the F-92s would have to try and find a friendly airfield in Turkey or something like that.”

(image source: TM, 1975)

“When you consider the B-36 is still the largest bomber ever built, the idea of 3 of them flying joined at the wingtips is astounding.”

Now few Ugly Monster Airplanes:

Here is another Monster plane Aero Spacelines Super Guppy which is similar to some freaky Monster Movies from late 1970s in look wise. This was a load carrier; basically was build to carry components of other airplanes from one site to other if needed.

(images credit: Mischa Oordjik, Alastair T. Garoiner)

Here  is a Super Transporter Airbus A300-600ST:

(images via)

VM-T “Atlant” is a Russian Monster plane which was used in Buran and Energia space programs was basically a carrier plane and was meant to carry a load which can be heavier than its own weight:

(images via)

Transporting a fuel tank for the second stage of Energia rocket:

(image source: “Cosmonautics – A Colorful History” ed. by Dr. Wayne R. Matson)

Nuclear-Powered Lockheed Mothership

In 1970s Lockheed proposed a Monster concept “Nuclear-Powered Lockheed Mothership”. If you can see other small planes are attached to its wings, and yet still flying successfully in the skies. This concept plan was so huge that if it is landed on water would look like a Titanic Plane.

Today’s Monster Planes

In 1960s C-5 Galaxy is introduced to the world and it was the monster plane at that time. It was so huge that it can carry 180,000 pounds: 90 tons easily. You can imagine how big it is.

(image credit: Pervez Iqbal)

Antonov An-225 is the biggest plane. It is a 6 engine monster which can carry maximum of 3 whole aircraft museums if needed. A total weight of 550,000 pounds can be carried by Antonov An-225.

(image credit: Dmitry Pichugin)

(image credit: Radek Oneksiak)

(image credit: airliners.net)

(images via)

(image via)

The current leader in passenger aviation is Airbus A-380. The below image shows its size and its comparison with other planes in the airport.

Now we have completed our fantasy dreams and have these machines; airplanes so big that they are even bigger than human ancient and magnificent dreams like Roc, the Garuda bird, the Thunderbird, Blue Crow.

(image credit: Sven De Bevere)

 

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