NICOSIA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Grand Parade brought an end to the Cyprus Limassol's carnival in high spirits on Sunday, with thousands of people lining streets to watch satirical floats and groups of people passing by and later dancing the night away.
Mayor of Limassol, Nicos Nicolaides, told Xinhua before the parade that Limassol carnival is one of the biggest carnivals in Europe, with more than 20,000 participants expected to take part in it.
He said it is the day of joy and a break from everyday worries, and everybody can have fun.
Carnivalists danced their way past city officials on floats and in teams, some of them two to three hundred strong.
The parade of the floats and groups was led by the Queen on the Carnival on a float that promoted one of Cyprus's big tourist assets -- the Deep Blue color of the Mediterranean.
The themes of the carnival floats and teams focused on a satirical disposition on politicians and bankers being at the center of attention for the last four years after an economic crisis that brought harsh austerity for many people, but also depicted everyday scenes of life or cinema themes and heroes.
The parade was followed by open air dancing and singing in many spots of the city.
Limassol has been branded as the city of enjoyment and entertainment. Beyond the carnival event, it also hosts an annual wine festival which is attended by thousands of tourists in August or September.
Limassol's carnival was established more than 100 years ago.
For Greeks, carnival celebrations go back into classical Greece when god Dionysos was honored with festivities and theatre performances by actors wearing masks.
But Limassol's carnival was started in line with the modern carnival parades in other cities such as Venice in Italy, Nice in France and Patras in Greece.
The Town Hall has a special carnival committee working round the year to organize the event.
The carnival precedes the Lent, a 50-day fasting period -- though few people fast nowadays -- which leads to the Christian holiday of Easter.
