The word "carnival" is said to have come from the Latin for "to go without meat," referring to the festivals celebrated before giving up meat for Lent. Days of revelry preceded the fasting, and during that time taboos were broken and authorities were mocked.
時下流行的嘉年華、狂歡節，原意是歐洲人在春天的「封齋期」有「禁吃肉食」的習俗，於是民眾便在告別肉食之前，一連幾天盡情吃喝玩樂，放浪形骸，並在百無禁忌的節慶中，嘲諷不滿的制度或人物。