A Brief History of Carnival:
Carnival originated in ancient Egypt, then eventually was celebrated by Greeks and Romans when the festival was adopted by the Roman Catholic church under the title of Carne Vale. Meaning, farewell to flesh, it is a feast celebrated on the Sunday (Dimanche Gras), Monday (Lundi Gras) and Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of Lent and Fasting.
Fast forward to the Age of Discovery of the Americas, African slaves in the Caribbean were excluded from these European celebrations and lavish masquerade balls by the settlers. Once emancipated, the slaves transformed this European festival forever into a celebration of the end of slavery.