Carnivals played a big part in my childhood. I'm a Catholic since birth, and of course, celebrations related to my faith are always welcome, believing that they have something to do with everything that's happening in my life. As a child, I had no idea what it's all about, what matters was that I was enjoying this wonderful time. The reality is that, when you're a child, nothing is really complicated because you're only concerned about the things that would give you joy and contentment, and carnival is one of those.
However, my perception now about carnivals is far different from what I used to believe it was all about. Probably because of ignorance or of not taking time to really know what are these things for, I felt like I had misinterpretations about this matter. I'm not blaming my parents or even my culture for having such kind of belief. There's just one question in my head that has been left unanswered. Why most children, including me when I was still one, are not educated about the real connection between this kind of celebration and religious affiliation?
Please don't get me wrong. Of course, I know carnivals are about fun and celebration. I'm just concerned about letting people know, especially children, regardless of their culture and religion, of why we have to do this and be part of this. It's perfectly fine to let our children experience great opportunities like this, but we have to teach them as well to look beyond things, so they have better understanding of everything that is taking place around them.
