Portugal is probably not the first place that you think of when somebody says carnival.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the origins of carnival are in Rio De Janeiro or New Orleans or Venice but on each count, you would be wrong because the birthplace of carnival is Portugal.

The word literally means ‘put away the meat’ and the celebration has its roots in the Catholic religious practices of ancient Portugal. The festival marks the beginning of Lent, a six- week period leading up to Easter, during which Christians have traditionally given up meat, fish, eggs and fat.

Carnival runs during the week preceding Shrove Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) the last day of unbridled eating before Lent. In Portugal, the celebrations are a historic blend of religious tradition, political satire, music, food and dance.

Each year the celebrations attract thousands of visitors and towns and cities across the county give themselves up to five days or more of a riotous street party.

Where to stay and how to get around

Carnival runs from anything up to ten days before the start of Lent, with the celebrations culminating on Tuesday. To experience the rich variety of this amazing celebration you need a base which enables you to get out and enjoy the carnival in different locations.

The obvious choice is the country’s coastal capital Lisbon, always home to a vibrant cultural life but particularly so at this time of the year and easy to access from nearby airports. Hotels in Lisbon and the Algarve are likely to be fully booked during this period so you should consider renting self-catering accommodation which will not only give you more space and flexibility but will also give you a peaceful refuge when that carnival fatigue sets in.

Although Portugal has an excellent public transport system, be aware that hundreds of thousands of visitors converge on popular destinations so it will make life a lot easier if you hire a car. Even with a car, you need to be prepared for some fairly arduous evenings, with huge crowds and a lot of walking. Although southern Portugal has warm winters things will get chilly in the evenings so layer up.

Where to go

A certain amount of anarchy is all part of the spirit of carnival so be prepared for loose timings and contradictory information, but don’t worry, there is so much going on it’s impossible to miss it. Carnival is literally all over Portugal but 40km from Lisbon the celebrations at Carnaval de Torres Vedras are probably the biggest and most Portuguese of all.

You’ll see Matrafonas, men dressed as women and Cabecudos, people dressed in outrageous costumes with enormous heads and they’ll be endless floats, music, dancing, food and drink into the early hours. The Carnaval de Alcobaco, Leira is reckoned to be the most ‘Brazilian’ of the festivals.

A giant tent is set up outside the Alcabaco Monastery where samba concerts and DJs entertain the crowds for five riotous days and nights but wherever you find yourself you are guaranteed a unique, memorable experience and a pair of aching feet.

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