From Rio to Venice, what are the best Carnivals in the world and why are they celebrated?

For the past week the streets of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil have been filled with plenty of colour, music, dancing and incredible costumes!

That's because the Rio Carnival, also known as the world's biggest party, is currently underway.

Carnival traditionally takes place in the run-up to the Christian festival of Lent and various countries around the world celebrate with their own unique traditions and events.

But what is Carnival and how is it celebrated? Here's everything you need to know about the biggest and best street parties from around the world!

Carnival is traditionally a Christian festive season that occurs just before Lent begins, usually in February or March.

Lent is a period of 40 days before Easter, during which Christians reflect and remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ, whose life and teachings are the foundation of Christianity.

As, traditionally, many people decide to give things up during Lent, Carnival is believed to have originated as an opportunity for people to get together and party for one last time before Lent begins.

Carnival typically involves public celebrations such as parades, public street parties, live music and dancing as well as plenty of food and fun festivities!

Carnival is celebrated in more than fifty different countries, mainly those with large Christian populations.

Here are some of the main events that take place around the world...

The Rio Carnival is thought to be one of the biggest and brightest street parties in the world and draws in millions of visitors ever year from around the globe.

It's one of the most important annual events in Brazil and involves lively parades of floats and thousands of dancers wearing colourful costumes.

There are samba competitions between dance schools, parades and block parties.

Crowds of people take to the streets to dance to music and to take part or watch.

The origins of Rio Carnival can be traced back to the 18th century and the festival of 'Entrudo' which was celebrated by Portuguese immigrants to Brazil.

Whereas the Rio Carnival is famous for its dancing, the Venice Carnival is known for its elaborate costumes and masks and dates back to the 11th century.

Venetian masks were traditionally made of leather or porcelain, although now they are mainly made with a special white paint mixture, called gesso and gold leaf and are decorated using natural feathers and gems.

Wearing masks was a symbol of freedom as it historically made it possible for people to hide their differences in class and status.

Venice's annual Carnival usually lasts around two weeks and ends on Shrove Tuesday.

It involves events such as various balls and parties and people can also enjoy live music in the main squares of the city.

The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is an annual event held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in the dual-island Caribbean nation.

While many other Caribbean islands also host various carnivals, Trinidad and Tobago's is widely seen as being one of the biggest in the area, and is often called the "mother of all carnivals".

Just like Rio, it is also well known for its participants colourful costumes and celebrations!

Thousands of people head to the country's capital city, Port of Spain, to celebrate every year.

There's plenty of music too, including a steel pan band competition and party goers can try out local food and experience Trinidadian culture.

Similarly to the Caribbean, various islands across the Canaries also celebrate Carnival.

However, the biggest and most famous carnival is called Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and takes place on the largest island in the Canaries, Tenerife.

It's said to be the most important carnival in Europe and is believed to be the second largest and most popular carnival held in the world, after Rio.

In fact, this is one of the reasons that the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is twinned with the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro!

The whole carnival lasts around one month and includes lots of colourful costumes and street parties, but the main events all happen in the space of a week.

The most important date in Tenerife's Carnival is Piñata Saturday, which occurs during the last weekend of the celebrations and features a spectacular fireworks display!

The Carnival of Binche is an annual event that takes place in the Belgian town of Binche during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

It dates back to the 14th century, and the event is steeped in history, so much so, that for the past twenty years it has been awarded special heritage status by Unesco.

Street performances traditionally occur on the Sundays up to Ash Wednesday and consist of musical acts, dancing and marching.

The centrepiece of the carnival are clown-like performers known as Gilles.

They mainly appear on Shrove Tuesday and are known for their special costumes including wax masks, large ostrich feather hats and wooden footwear.

The Gilles also perform a special tradition - they march through the town with baskets of oranges which they throw to members of the crowd gathered to view the procession.

The oranges are seen as a sign of good luck because they are a gift from the Gilles and it is considered to be an insult to throw them back!