In February, in keeping with our multicultural spirit, the School always takes part in one of the most popular and oldest festivities, Carnival. On this day, our students in Early Years and Primary, give up their school uniform and change into superhero, gnome, rocker, medieval knight and many other costumes. The School corridors are filled with colour and music, and in very good spirits we are ready for the Half Term holiday and the beginning of the countdown towards Spring.
We fight off the cold and grey weather of Winter with a multi-coloured Carnival, a very well established festivity in Europe, which takes place just before Lent (this begins on Ash Wednesday). Its date varies therefore, between February and March. It seems likely that its origins lie in pagan festivals, such as the ones held in honour of Baccus, the Roman God of Wine, the Saturnalia and Lupercalia festivals, or the ones celebrated in honour of Apis in Egypt. According to some historians, the origin of such festivals goes back to Ancient Sumeria and Ancient Egypt, more than 5000 years ago. Here we find very similar celebrations to the ones in Ancient Rome, from where the tradition then spread, with Portuguese and Spanish sailors taking it to the Americas at the end of the 15th Century.
For us, this year, Carnaval means above all else, the beginning of the much deserved Half Term holiday.