Carnival of Madeira
| Carnival of Madeira | |
|---|---|
Dancers in the 2026 carnival of Madeira | |
| Also called | Carnaval, Carnival, Madeira Carnival |
| Observed by | Madeira, Madeirense communities worldwide |
| Type | Cultural, Religious (Roman Catholicism) |
| Significance | Five days before Ash Wednesday |
| Date | Easter − 47 days |
| Duration | 5 days |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Ash Wednesday, Valentine's Day, Lent, Carnival |
The Carnival of Madeira (Portuguese: Carnaval da Madeira) is an annual festival held forty days before Easter, that ends on Shrove Tuesday (called Fat Tuesday in Madeira - Terça-feira Gorda in Portuguese) the day before Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent). On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove (literally, "raise") meat."