Today, the 21st of February, 2012, is the culmination of Brazil's annual celebration of the carnal - food, drink, music, dance and sex. It's no linguistic accident that the words carnal and carnaval are only separated by two little letters because both derive from the Latin word for meat - carnis.
Today, in the traditional Roman Catholic calendar is the very last day before the austerities of Lent are prescribed, and so it's only natural to make hay while the sun shines. To satiate all of one's sensual appetites one last final times before the long 40-day drought from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
Throughout the country there will be the sound of music, the rhythms of the drums, the aroma of grilled meats, the taste of heavy, greasy food, and the satisfaction that only comes from a gulp of ice-cold beer when the temperature is reaching 35C (95F) and you're surrounded by anywhere between a hundred and two million party-goers.
If you're in Brazil, have a happy and safe Carnaval. If you're not, come join the party in 2013, or 2014, or whenever you can. There's nothing else like it.
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