Why is the Carnival an important holiday in Panama?

Question

Other questions:

-how it is important

-what is celebrated

-how long it lasts

-who started it

-when did it start

-what do people do in this holiday

Answer 1

Carnival (from the word "carni" or flesh in Spanish) is the holiday right before Great Lent when you can load up on meat and eat as much of it as possible before starting to fast. It's a Catholic holiday. Nobody knows when it really started, because they say that the origins trace back to pre-Christian times.

Answer 2

Why is the Carnival an important holiday in Panama?  As an overall whole, Panama is a catholic nation, Seventy-seven percent of Panamanians are Catholic.  Carnival is a catholic holiday

Other questions:

-how it is important -it is important to the nation economically, it when there are more tourists in Panama and any other time of the year.  It's like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  The 'big sin' before the 'big fast'

-what is celebrated - It is a prepetual street party from Thursday night until Wednesday noon, including a parade and a carnival queen, and being soap with water guns and water hoses to stay cool.

-how long it lasts - Officially fours days.  Unofficially seven

-who started it - the catholic church in Spain

-when did it start - It started in Panama in the1500, when Spain (Balboa) started using the Panama as a route to bring the gold out of south america and their priests started converting the indigenous people.

-what do people do in this holiday - Drink, dance, party if they are in the city, some people escape to the country to avoid the noise and the crowds.

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