I am not a fan of Carnival in particular, but what I do like is dedication that is needed to make the yearly Carnival Parade happen. Months before carnival many people are assembling large puppets to be gatherd on big wagons. The craftmenship is to be respected. One of those puppets is the one I show you. Prinsenbeek (NL) certainly has one of the biggest and most beautiful Carnival Parades of the Netherlands. Found in Wikipedia: 'Vastenavond' or 'Vastelaovend' the last day of Carnival, the day before Ash Wednesday, is held exactly 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter. Dutch Carnival is most celebrated in Catholic regions, mostly the southern provinces Noord Brabant and Limburg, where it is also known as Vastenavond or Vastelaovend (literally "Fasting evening", although that strictly refers only to the last day, whereas Carnival in the Netherlands usually begins on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday). The most popular places where Carnival is held (although every city, town or village in the south of The Netherlands celebrates it) are Roosendaal, Weert, Maastricht, Roermond, Heerlen, Sittard, Venlo, Tilburg, 's-Hertogenbosch, Bergen op Zoom, Eindhoven, Breda, Oldenzaal and Prinsenbeek The places also adopt different names during carnival, for instance Prinsenbeek is called Boemeldonck and Eindhoven is called Lampegat. Carnival here has been celebrated ever since medieval times and was modernised after WW II, when Bergen op Zoom even continued to celebrate it indoors. During Dutch Carnival, many traditions are kept alive. First of all is the parade with dressed-up groups, musicians and elaborately built floats. Also traditions include a fake prince plus cort�¨ge ('Council of 11'), the boerenbruiloft (farmer's wedding) and the haring happen (eating herring) on Ash Wednesday. However, the traditions vary from town to town. There are several types of Carnival celebrated in The Netherlands. The best known variant is known as the Rijnlandsche Carnival which can be experienced in the province of Limburg. It shares many folklore traditions with its German and Belgian counterparts. Maastricht is famous not so much for its parades but for its street carnival, with elaborate costumes that people work on all year, a bit like the South American style, but with a strong accent on humour, and bearing resemblance to Italian, mostly Venetian, traditions, culture and costumes. Another variety can be found in the province of Noord-Brabant, e.g. in Tilburg, 's-Hertogenbosch, Breda, Steenbergen and Bergen op Zoom. The Carnival in 's-Hertogenbosch is known as the oldest in the Netherlands. Several paintings of the world famous Jheronimus Bosch, who lived in the city in the 15th century, are based on the carnival festivities in the city during the Middle Ages. The oldest known Carnival festivities in 's-Hertogenbosch date from 1385. In 1882 De Oeteldonksche Club was founded to secure the future of Carnival in 's-Hertogenbosch. The Carnival of Bergen op Zoom shares most traditions with 's-Hertogenbosch and very few traditions and folklore with the rest of the Netherlands and they have celebrated it in their specific way ever since 1839.'