Carnival is a silent affair in Beijing

While things are heating up in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, any form of Carnival activity is nowhere to be found in Beijing. The Brazilian embassy in Beijing confirmed that they will not hold events for Carnival, the most famous holiday in Brazil and one of the country's major tourist attractions and internationally known symbols. Clubs are not calling up revelers for masquerade parties and Brazilian restaurants haven't prepared special menus, nor have other Latin restaurants.

Less hot over here

Renowned as a loud revelry of parades and masks, Brazil's Carnival is often celebrated to some extent around the entire world. However, it goes by unnoticed in China, where people happily observe other Western holidays like Halloween and Valentine's Day that are equally unrelated to Chinese traditions. "Carnival sounds nice, but what type of festival and celebration is it all about?" wrote one Internet user called Yinluo Shixue in a forum about the topic on China's microblogging service Sina Weibo. "I never celebrated Carnival and I guess most Chinese people don't because most of us do not know about it," said 22-year-old Liu Siyuan, an English major student. "I just know it's celebrated in Europe where people hold parties and parade on the street wearing masks for fun. The occasion has something to do with religion," Liu added.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old university student Wang Weikang noted the lack of Carnival's commercial flair: "Flower shops, hotels and restaurants have a way of reminding us of holidays like Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day, and girlfriends become angry if they don't get a Valentine's Day gift," he explained.

"I only know of private parties happening at friend's houses," said Janaína Silveira, a 34-year-old Brazilian who works in PR in Beijing. "In Brazil we say the year only starts after Carnival," Silveira added. "It's a popular party where people dance and sing a lot to recharge their energy and face the New Year. Carnival is all about pouring out your emotions, the good and the bad ones, while having fun with friends and strangers," explained Silveira, talking about the several ways of celebrating Carnival in Brazil. Silveira believes that Chinese people could easily learn to enjoy this type of party. "Chinese people are expressive and they like to dance in the streets. Yet Carnival isn't well promoted in China," she said, suggesting that if a local organization took the task to explain the roots of Carnival and promote it, social networks could help spread the word, while clubs and bars could provide a taste of what a carnival ball is. "Carnival happens in the peak of summer in Brazil, while in China the temperature is below zero. I suppose that's why we Brazilians are a bit uncomfortable," she laughed, adding another reason as to why it is not so popular here.

Hiding behind a mask

As it therefore stands Carnival is yet to be big in Beijing. Even Latin-owned or inspired bars and restaurants have not thought about cashing in on Carnival. "We didn't think about it when we planned our program of activities for February," confirmed Aida Junusova, 29, one of the four co-owners of the bar Modernista located in Gulou. Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Junosova sees no point in celebrating holidays when they're not part of a country's tradition or culture. "In Kyrgyzstan people learn about Carnival on TV or online, but it is a Catholic-inspired holiday and like other neighboring countries many people are Muslim so they celebrate other festivals," she added. Junosova is not opposed to some foreign holidays though. In her five years living in Beijing, Junosova has become rather a fan of Christmas. "I guess I don't really get the spirit of Carnival, but I started celebrating Christmas in Beijing and I love it. Most of my friends are European and Christmas is very special to them. I suppose this has to do with the people you hang out with," she said.

Some capoeira and samba groups in Beijing might hold activities for their circle of friends and enthusiasts, but without Carnival performances for the general public. Amongst these groups there are a few Chinese who take Carnival more seriously, such as Chris Jiao and Fionna Qi, who are both members of samba group Templo do Samba. "It's a long time-honored tradition and the biggest national event in Brazil. Usually all the samba schools parade the streets to show their skills and compete against each other," explained Jiao, a 25-year-old Jilin native who works as an event executive in Beijing. Jiao believes that alongside Brazilian football, many Chinese might know about Carnival. They just don't celebrate it because it is not widely commercialized. "We get really excited even though we live on the other side of the world," said Qi about the way that Templo do Samba welcomes Carnival. "We usually hold a huge drinking event for more than 500 students, group members and friends, where we show videos, practice samba dancing and share stories about Brazilian culture," Qi described, recalling a 2010 event at a bar in Andingmennei.

Sadly for those without a Brazilian friend to share a Caipirinha with - Brazil's national cocktail - and without membership to a capoeira or samba group, chances are this week will be just another regular week.

Carnival or Mardi Gras?

Both terms refer to the same feast, only they're used in different parts of the world. The Latin word carnival (carne vale) means "farewell to meat," in reference to the abstinence from meat during the period between Christmas and Easter. Roman Catholics prepare for the pre-Easter Lent by partying heavily, and eating and drinking as much as possible, before a reflective period when they are urged to abstain from merry-making.

In the US, the word carnival is almost exclusively used in connection with the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday," refers to the whole carnival season. Mardi Gras officially begins on the Feast of Epiphany or Twelfth Night (January 6) and continues until midnight of Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It varies in length depending on whether Easter falls earlier or later.