A dancer from the Salgueiro samba school performs on a float in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 7, 2005. Carnival culminates with a grand parade Feb. 8, the day before Ash Wednesday ushers in the season of Lent, a period of penance and fasting until Easter.
Brazil
Performers from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school dance on a parade float at the Sambodrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 7, 2005. The samba parade is the centerpiece of Brazil's annual Carnival celebration.
Brazil
A child covered in mud parades during Carnival celebrations in Paraty, Brazil, Feb. 5, 2005.
Bolivia
Musicians play traditional songs during Carnival celebrations in the city of Oruro, Bolivia, Feb. 5, 2005.
Trinidad
A picture of the singer Beyonce is seen on a costume during the competition for Carnival King and Queen, in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Feb. 6, 2005. Carnival was introduced in Trinidad by French immigrants in the 1700s. Before Lent, plantation owners doused themselves in molasses and dressed as slaves. The slaves in turn dressed up to parody their masters.
Haiti
A group of Haitian woman dressed as sphinx parade during Carnival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 6, 2005.
Germany
German model Heidi Klum, left, and her fiance, British singer Seal, take part in the traditional Carnival parade in Cologne, western Germany, Feb. 7, 2005. Cologne holds Germany's largest Carnival celebrations.
Germany
A group dressed in "Federahansel" (Feather Jack) costumes kid around during the traditional "Rottweiler Narrensprung" (Rottweil Fools Jump) in downtown Rottweil, Germany, Feb. 7, 2005. Some 3,000 Carnival fools in the traditional costumes of the region attended the colorful parade, watched by tens of thousands of revellers along the streets.
Baghdad
A Humvee from Louisiana's 256th Brigade is decorated as a float for a Mardi Gras parade at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 6, 2005. The National Guard soldiers celebrated Mardi Gras two days early so that the maximum number of soldiers could participate. The parade was followed by a meal of chicken and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice and King cake.
Baghdad
Soldiers from Louisiana's 256th Brigade toss beads from a float to the roof of their headquarters, during a Mardi Gras parade at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 6, 2005.
Baghdad
1st Lt. Forrest Tuckett, of Rayville, La., holds up a coin and a cup full of candy he collected during a Mardi Gras parade at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 6, 2005.
Texas
A crowd gathers in the street during a Mardi Gras celebration in Galveston, Texas, Feb. 5, 2005.
California
Stuart Clyde, left, and Shannon Wyndsong take part in the annual Mardi Gras party in San Luis Obispo. Calif., Feb. 5, 2005.
St. Louis
Sally Inserra shows a customer a hat as she peeks out between strings of Mardi Gras beads at her booth in the Soulard Market in St. Louis, Feb. 4, 2005. The St. Louis Mardi Gras celebration is one of the largest in the country, with an expected draw of over 500,000 people.
St. Louis
Nikki Flam, top, and his Bichon Frise, Brandon, wait for the start of the annual Krewe of Barkus Pet Parade in the Soulard area of St. Louis, Jan. 30, 2005. The parade, which is a staple of the St. Louis Mardi Gras festivities, attracted more than 6,000 dogs and their owners and is recognized as one of the largest pet parades in the nation.
St. Louis
Brittany Mira, 10, rides in the washtub with her dog, Mira, as they wait for the start of the annual Krewe of Barkus Pet Parade, Jan. 30, 2005, in St. Louis.