With its warmer climate, Carnival on the Spanish island of Tenerife feels a bit more like spring than winter and costumes tend to involve less fabric. Like in Latin America, samba dance groups participate in the largest Carnival parade on the Canary Islands in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Clothed in white with a dusting of flour, revelers on the Canary Island of La Palma in Spain celebrate the "Dia des los Indianos." It commemorates the return of the islanders who've immigrated to Cuba or Venezuela. Covering each other with flour used to be a tradition on all Canary Islands, but today it's only practiced on La Palma. Flour is used instead of powdered sugar, which represents wealth.

In Binche, 60 kilometers from Brussels, masked characters called "Gilles" have been playing the lead role in Carnival celebrations for centuries. Strengthened with oysters and champagne, they dance through the streets on Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The colorful ritual has been on the UNESCO List of Immaterial World Heritage since 2008.

Bud princesses throw mimosas, roses and daffodils into the crowd watching the famous flower battle in Nice in southern France. The parade on the Côte d'Azur dates back to 1876, when tourists, mainly from England, were presented with flowers.

The "Carnevale di Venezia" is said to date back to the 12th century, when nobles threw lavish parties in their palaces. Ball guests would outdo each other with elaborate costumes. The most exclusive Carnival events these days include the Ballo Tiepolo in the Palazzo Pisani Moretta and a visit to the opera in the Teatro La Fenice.

Uniformed dancers are an important part of almost every German Carnival club. In Cologne, they shout "Alaaf," in Dusseldorf, "Helau." But everywhere in the Rhineland region, people sing and collect "Kamelle," or sweets, during the Carnival parades. Several hundreds tons of goodies are thrown into the costumed crowds during the Carnival Monday parades.

Carnival in Mainz, near Frankfurt, dates back to the 16th century, and the highlight is the parade on Carnival Monday. There, you'll always see larger-than-life caricature figures with XXL heads, known as "Schwellköpp." There are 30 different characters, and each of their heads weighs up to 25 kilograms.

This historical jester figure, the "Federahannes," is part of the Carnival tradition in southwestern Germany. He has curved tusks and his coat is covered with feathers. He traditionally uses his cane to make leaps and appears at Carnival parades from the Black Forest to the Allgäu region and even into Switzerland.

Bremen has become Germany's northern hub of Carnival festivities. Hundreds of samba groups from around the world are set to celebrate in Bremen, dressed according to the motto. With their drums, they turn the city's market square into a huge dance floor.

The "Bützchen," or smooch, is as much a part of Carnival in Germany as the colorful costumes. The term "Carnival" comes from the Latin words "carnis" (flesh) and "levare" (to take away). At the end of Carnival, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time of fasting for Christians in anticipation of Easter.