Creole peoples were a mixture of people of European ancestry and slave populations (or free men and women of color). They were also referred to as "criollos", a word from the Spanish language meaning "created" and used in the post-French governance period to distinguish the two groups of New Orleans area and down river Creoles. Both mixed race and European Creole groups share many traditions and language, but their socio-economic roots differed in the original period of Louisiana history. Actually, the French word Creole is derived from the Portuguese word "Crioulo", which described Spaniards born in the Americas as opposed to Spain.
Carnival areas where Dutch, German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are spoken, or "Carnevale" in Italian-speaking contexts. Alternative names are used for regional and local celebrations. The word is said to come from the Late Latin expression "carne levare", which means "remove meat"; a folk etymology derives it from "carne vale", "farewell to meat". In either case, this signifies the approaching fast. The word "carne" may also be translated as flesh, producing "a farewell to the flesh", a phrase embraced by certain carnival celebrants to embolden the festival's carefree spirit. The etymology of the word "Carnival" thus points to a Christian origin