Carnival in the Caribbean has a complicated birthright, tied to colonialism, religious conversion, and ultimately freedom and celebration. The festival originated with Italian Catholics in Europe and later spread to the French and Spanish, who brought the pre-Lenten tradition when they settled and introduced slavery to Trinidad, Dominica, Haiti, Martinique, and other islands. Carnival itself is thought to mean “farewell to meat” or “farewell to flesh,” referencing the Catholic practice of abstaining from red meat from Ash Wednesday until Easter. This phrase embodies the sensuous abandon that defines the Caribbean celebration of the holiday.