The origin of Carnival is found in pagan festivals of Antiquity. In the Roman Empire, Saturnalia and Bacchanalia were celebrations in honor of Saturn and Bacchus, were marked by debauchery, role reversal and the use of masks. Some authors have proposed various origins for Carnival, such as pagan festivals held in honor of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, or the Roman Saturnalia and Lupercalia, or those held in honor of the bull Apis, a god related to the fertility of herds, the Sun and the god of the Nile in Ancient Egypt. However, there is no evidence that similar festivals were held on the same dates before the year 1200.1

Its name comes from the Latin “carnem levare”, so carnival means “to remove the meat”. It is during this period that it takes on its status as a celebration in which almost everything is allowed and in order for the participants to protect their reputation they had to cover their faces with masks and costumes.