Why has Christianity mixed with Carnival and its costumes? Although it is known as the country of carnival, Brazil is not the only country that celebrates it with enthusiasm. Cities such as Venice (Italy), Nice (France), New Orleans (USA), Canary Islands (Spain), Oruro (Bolivia) and Barranquilla (Colombia) also celebrate the festival in a very lively way. The origins of carnival: how the party came about The origin of carnival is the celebration of the ancient gods. In Babylon, a commemoration of Saceias was held, and a prisoner, who was allowed to assume the status of king for a few days, was killed at the end of the commemoration. Celebrations were also held at Marduk’s temple when the king was attacked and humiliated, confirming his inferiority in the presence of divine figures. In ancient Greece, there were festivals celebrating the arrival of spring, and all people, regardless of birth, could participate in this event. A similar celebration was held at Saturnalia in the Roman Empire, when people wore masks and played, ate and drank all day. The Evolution of Carnival With the rise of Christianity, pagan holidays took on new meaning. Therefore, the carnival becomes an opportunity for the faithful to say goodbye to the meat. In fact, the word carnival comes from the Latin carnis levale, which means “meat removal”. This is a mundane party. In it, a man can be a woman, a woman can be a man, the rich become poor, the poor stand out in high positions, the hidden is revealed, and the act of covering up is related to revealing the mask of the other. In the countdown to the realization that reality will come in the ashes of Wednesday, revelers insist on surrender, meat focuses on pleasure, and in these days of reconstruction of a demonetized world, beings are free to live imaginary beings that before they were imprisoned, happy now. Learning about the Festa da Carne and its medieval influence is more than just a curiosity. Carnival is associated with ceremonial, agricultural and astronomical calendars. It is between the New Year and Easter, which is crucial in determining the date of Carnival, due to the need to prepare for the days of restriction brought by the entire context of Easter, that is, “Let us rejoice because sadness comes”. Underneath the colorful surface of the carnival hides the opposition between spiritual and physical things in the popular imagination, not the opposition between good and evil, but the dispute between good and evil, that is, knowing what is truly pleasant is not is religious, carnival provides a window of joy and joy in a life that is not boring. This kind of thinking exists in the contemporary world. Human nature as understood by the Greeks and in the Middle Ages was not only dichotomous but partially antithetical. The result is a spirituality imprisoned in the future and a religion that cannot live in the flesh. The idea of ​​heaven is always boring, holiness is useless on the verge of alienation, and Christianity is tied to everything that limits existence, carrying an unbearable moral weight like a dungeon, and escape is a feast for the flesh. (Romans 7:7, 8; James 1:14, 15) No wonder Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). The joy and satisfaction in these texts are not described as intoxicating aliens from the difficult human reality, nor as a prize to be achieved in a future perfect world, but as a state of being that found grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ (He set us free from the power of darkness and transported us into the kingdom of his love, in which we have redemption, through his blood, the remission of sins (Colossians 1:13–14). of moral reward. There was no delight in people who should rejoice in belonging to a holy people and having received extraordinary revelations from God, on the contrary, life was a burden full of rules and fears and spiritual leadership was much closer to a society of watchfulness than a community of love. “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and what comes to me; and what comes to me I will never cast out” John 6:37. The Savior, contrary to what His listeners were used to, did not provide a recipe, He called Him, invited Him into a relationship, and presented Himself as a cure for tiredness and overload. Jesus made an invitation and not a proposal, He did not reduce his solution to an emergency or a momentary relief, He proposed a break for a new model of life, a life in the Spirit that unfolds satisfaction and contentment instead of fatigue. It is fundamentally important to note that He does not rule out true spirituality. Christ, first of all, attacks the problem at its root, that is, the inadequate yoke “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29–30”. The Savior does not assert the need for an irreverent spree as a relief from a regimented and holy life, on the contrary, He bestows grace and holiness as a respite for life in this chaotic world. There is, in fact, a message given by the great popular party, the portrait of a world exhausted of itself, feeling the weight of the masks that it has built and seeking to drink solution from the source of its problem. We take off the masks and can’t stand the reality they hide for a long time, we put on the masks and, in the same way, we can’t bear the weight of carrying them for so long and in front of so many people. Jesus calls us to an experience of complete satisfaction, not replacing our weariness with another damaged and fanciful version of ourselves, but a life in Him, trusting in the perfection of His decisions and living the joy of His presence. Why were we created? What is the great purpose of our existence in the present and in the future? Because God chose us in him before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love he predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4–6!” . According to his will, God chose us in Christ before the world was created, to eternal glory, for adoption. God chose us for his immense love, and not for our merit. We were chosen not by faith or because of our works. God loves us unconditionally regardless of what we were in the past and are today. In the Book of (1 John 4:9) “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” God decided to love us without being deserving, to adopt us as children for his glory and his praise.