Dancing all over the world

Dancing all over the world

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Bejewelled dancers in Rio de Janeiro. Costumed masquerades in Venice. Revellers dressed as horned devils in Spain.

The traditions may be different, but in countries all over the world Carnival is a time to throw off the shackles of everyday life. Reuters photographers around the globe documented the topsy-turvy revelry of the season.

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Slideshow

A masked reveller is seen during a parade by Caretas, a traditional Carnival group in eastern Brazil.
. Trinufo, Brazil. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

A masked reveller is seen during a parade by Caretas, a traditional Carnival group in eastern Brazil.

A reveller stands in a butcher’s shop during a traditional Maracatu carnival in Nazare da Mata, in eastern Brazil.
. Nazare da Mata, Brazil. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

A reveller stands in a butcher’s shop during a traditional Maracatu carnival in Nazare da Mata, in eastern Brazil.

A reveller poses next to a faded wall painting during an annual block party known as "Ceu na Terra" (Sky on Earth) in Rio de Janeiro.
. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

A reveller poses next to a faded wall painting during an annual block party known as "Ceu na Terra" (Sky on Earth) in Rio de Janeiro.

A dancer performs during the rehearsal of the Mocidade Independente Samba school in the Bangu neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.
. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

A dancer performs during the rehearsal of the Mocidade Independente Samba school in the Bangu neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.

Revellers from the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school perform while hanging from wires on a float made to look like a vertical football pitch. The show was part of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.
. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Revellers from the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school perform while hanging from wires on a float made to look like a vertical football pitch. The show was part of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.

Bolivian indigenous women dance in the Anata Andina (Andean carnival) in Oruro.
. Oruro, Bolivia. REUTERS/Gaston Brito

Bolivian indigenous women dance in the Anata Andina (Andean carnival) in Oruro.

A child dressed as former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez salutes at a parade in Caracas.
. CARACAS, Venezuela. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

A child dressed as former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez salutes at a parade in Caracas.

Congo dancers pay their respects to dead relatives at a cemetery in Barranquilla before the "Grand Parade of Tradition" during the Carnival season.
. BARRANQUILLA, Colombia. REUTERS/John Vizcaino

Congo dancers pay their respects to dead relatives at a cemetery in Barranquilla before the "Grand Parade of Tradition" during the Carnival season.

A woman wearing a Brazilian-flag-themed costume arrives at the annual Carnival parade in Panama City.
. Panama City, Panama. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

A woman wearing a Brazilian-flag-themed costume arrives at the annual Carnival parade in Panama City.

Dancers perform on an oriental-themed float during carnival celebrations in Valletta. Several themed floats, which were built all over Malta, converged in the capital to compete for the grand prize in the Carnival parades.
. VALLETTA, Malta. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

Dancers perform on an oriental-themed float during carnival celebrations in Valletta. Several themed floats, which were built all over Malta, converged in the capital to compete for the grand prize in the Carnival parades.

A performer takes part in an event marking the closing of carnival celebrations in the Malecon of Santo Domingo.
. SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A performer takes part in an event marking the closing of carnival celebrations in the Malecon of Santo Domingo.

People play in the snow at the Quebec Winter Carnival.
. QUEBEC CITY, Canada. Reuters/Mathieu Belanger

People play in the snow at the Quebec Winter Carnival.

A reveller walks down a street during the "O Entroido" festival in the northwestern Spanish village of Laza. The carnival lasts for a week and is considered a major social and cultural event in the town.
. Laza, Spain. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal

A reveller walks down a street during the "O Entroido" festival in the northwestern Spanish village of Laza. The carnival lasts for a week and is considered a major social and cultural event in the town.

Carnival participants dressed as "Peliqueiros" run through a street in Laza. During the festivities, "Peliqueiros", or ancient tax collectors, pursue villagers through town ringing their cowbells and hitting villagers with their sticks.
. Laza, Spain. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal

Carnival participants dressed as "Peliqueiros" run through a street in Laza. During the festivities, "Peliqueiros", or ancient tax collectors, pursue villagers through town ringing their cowbells and hitting villagers with their sticks.

Girls dressed as Lamia take part in carnival celebrations in the Basque coastal town of Mundaka. The Lamia, a figure of Basque mythology, is a half-human, half-animal creature whose lower parts are those of a goat or duck in inland regions, and a mermaid-like creature in coastal areas.
. MUNDAKA, Spain. Reuters/Vincent West

Girls dressed as Lamia take part in carnival celebrations in the Basque coastal town of Mundaka. The Lamia, a figure of Basque mythology, is a half-human, half-animal creature whose lower parts are those of a goat or duck in inland regions, and a mermaid-like creature in coastal areas.

A member of a folk group grabs a child during a parade, part of the VII Xornaes de Mazcares d'Inviernu (VII Winter Mask Meetings) in Valdesoto. Groups from different regions of Spain and Portugal attended the gathering and displayed their traditional carnival rituals.
. Valdesoto, Spain. REUTERS/Eloy Alonso

A member of a folk group grabs a child during a parade, part of the VII Xornaes de Mazcares d'Inviernu (VII Winter Mask Meetings) in Valdesoto. Groups from different regions of Spain and Portugal attended the gathering and displayed their traditional carnival rituals.

A boy looks on as men dressed as devils pose for a portrait during Carnival celebrations in the Spanish village of Luzon. The "Diablos de Luzon" cover themselves in a mixture of soot and oil and adorn their heads with black-stained bull horns as they parade through the village. To make their appearance even more fearsome, the devils often carry fake teeth made out of raw potatoes.
. LUZON, Spain. REUTERS/Susana Vera

A boy looks on as men dressed as devils pose for a portrait during Carnival celebrations in the Spanish village of Luzon. The "Diablos de Luzon" cover themselves in a mixture of soot and oil and adorn their heads with black-stained bull horns as they parade through the village. To make their appearance even more fearsome, the devils often carry fake teeth made out of raw potatoes.

Majorettes take part in a parade during Carnival in Malaga.
. MALAGA, Spain. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Majorettes take part in a parade during Carnival in Malaga.

Masked revellers pose in Saint Mark's Square during the Venetian Carnival.
. VENICE, Italy. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

Masked revellers pose in Saint Mark's Square during the Venetian Carnival.

A float that portrays French President Francois Hollande sitting on a pile of cheese makes its way through the crowd during the Carnival parade in Nice. The 130th Carnival of Nice ran to March 4 and celebrates the "King of Gastronomy".
. NICE, France. REUTERS/Olivier Anrigo

A float that portrays French President Francois Hollande sitting on a pile of cheese makes its way through the crowd during the Carnival parade in Nice. The 130th Carnival of Nice ran to March 4 and celebrates the "King of Gastronomy".

A papier-mache caricature of Russian President Vladimir Putin flexing his bicep,  which has the word "Crimea" written on it, is seen on a float during the traditional Rose Monday carnival parade in Duesseldorf.
. DUESSELDORF, Germany. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

A papier-mache caricature of Russian President Vladimir Putin flexing his bicep, which has the word "Crimea" written on it, is seen on a float during the traditional Rose Monday carnival parade in Duesseldorf.

Women dressed in costumes for "Weiberfastnacht" (Women's Carnival) walk past a Louis Vuitton shop in Cologne. The Women's Carnival marks the start of a week of street festivals, and the highlight of the event is "Rosenmontag" (Rose Monday) - the final day of the Carnival when mass processions are held.
. COLOGNE, Germany. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

Women dressed in costumes for "Weiberfastnacht" (Women's Carnival) walk past a Louis Vuitton shop in Cologne. The Women's Carnival marks the start of a week of street festivals, and the highlight of the event is "Rosenmontag" (Rose Monday) - the final day of the Carnival when mass processions are held.

A Carnival reveller performs a so-called "Fools Jump" in the Black Forrest town of Rottweil.
. ROTTWEIL, Germany. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

A Carnival reveller performs a so-called "Fools Jump" in the Black Forrest town of Rottweil.

Youths take part in a traditional last-day-of-carnival event called "Kusaki" in the Polish village of Jedlinsk. The carnival, where all roles are played by males, takes place on Shrove Tuesday.
. JEDLINSK, Poland. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Youths take part in a traditional last-day-of-carnival event called "Kusaki" in the Polish village of Jedlinsk. The carnival, where all roles are played by males, takes place on Shrove Tuesday.

A boy wearing a mask jumps over a fire during Bele Poklade Carnival celebrations in the Serbian village of Lozovik. Bele Poklade has its roots in old pagan customs and is marked annually seven weeks before Easter. Children walk through the village to collect eggs, and at the end they jump over a fire to banish evil demons.
. LOZOVIK, Serbia. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

A boy wearing a mask jumps over a fire during Bele Poklade Carnival celebrations in the Serbian village of Lozovik. Bele Poklade has its roots in old pagan customs and is marked annually seven weeks before Easter. Children walk through the village to collect eggs, and at the end they jump over a fire to banish evil demons.

A reveller parades through the French Quarter on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans.
. NEW ORLEANS, United States. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

A reveller parades through the French Quarter on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans.

Surf lifesavers rush towards the audience during the 2014 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
. SYDNEY, Australia. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Surf lifesavers rush towards the audience during the 2014 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.