As the Catholic tradition of Lent approaches so does the accompanying tradition of Carnaval. Throughout the predominantly Catholic Latin America, celebrations bring everything to a stop so that people can have fun before surrendering something during Lent. The festivities, always raucous and colorful, happen all over the continent as well as the world, but Latin America has some of the most diverse.

In Bolivia, the best known carnival is the Carnaval de Oruro, which takes place in the provincial city of Oruro. The festivities tell the story of how the Spanish conquered the native population and how they adapted their indigenous beliefs into their new Catholic faith. Filled with bright costumes, music and dances, the festival brings thousands together. However, tragedy struck the festival this year, as the AP reports that four people died when an overcrowded bridge above the festivities collapsed on top of the parading musicians and dancers.

Further north, the Carnaval de Barranquilla is one of Colombia's best-known carnival celebrations. According to Radio Caracol, the festivities began on Saturday with the Battle of the Flowers. Today the carnival continues with the Great Parade of Tradition and Folklore in which 250 different groups will participate. However, the focus will be the Rey Momo Alvaro Bustillo. Similar celebrations are happening in Santiago, Chile, according to the Santiago Times, where a small group of Colombian expats has decided to give their new Chilean neighbors a taste of Colombian carnival.

Yet the biggest celebrations are, of course, in Brazil. Rio's Carnival was opened this Friday, according to the AP. Mayor Eduardo Paes gave the city keys to the Rei Momo Wilson Neto to the sounds of music and dancing. More than 1 million people will arrive to Rio's city center for the festivities, including an estimated 918,000 tourists, which will inject $730 million into the city, according to the AP. After these festivities, the next big bash will be the World Cup.