Beautiful Carnival in Rio de Janeiro Photos

Carnival Season for 2011 is nearing its end. All over the world, celebrations are held as a final party before the fasting of Lent, as a way to usher out the winter and welcome spring. Across Europe and the Americas, parades and festivals have been taking place for nearly a month, culminating in the largest, most famous party of all: the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The festivals in Rio continue until today, March 8th. Gathered below are images from the past several weeks of carnivals around the globe.

AP Photo / Felipe Dana

REUTERS / Santiago Ferrero

AP Photo / Gerald Herbert

REUTERS / Jose Miguel Gomez

AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd

REUTERS / Tim Wimborne

AP Photo / Fernando Vergara

AP Photo / Lionel Cironneau

AP Photo / Andre Penner

REUTERS / Sergio Moraes

AP Photo / Felipe Dana

AP Photo / Felipe Dana

AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd