The 2012 carnival season has begun... with festivals happening all across the world.

The three-day Carnival of Oruro in Bolivia, which started on Saturday with much fanfare and feasts, will be marked by folk dances, parades and more cultural and religious activities. Dancers from various groups performed during the carnival parade in Oruro.

Oruro is a mining and commercial city of more than 200,000 people, located some 124m (200km) south of the country's capital of La Paz.

The Bolivian carnival is about 2000-year-old religious festival that happens in the city of Oruro, dubbed as the folk capital of Bolivia, where partying and religious rituals mingle freely during the carnival celebrations.

Check out a few pictures from the opening day of the carnival...

Bolivia Carnival 2012
Dancers of Autentica Diablada Oruro perform during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado
Bolivia Carnival 2012
A dancer of the "Fraternidad La Diablada" group performs during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. The three-day Carnival of Oruro in Bolivia, which started on Saturday with much fanfare and feasts, is marked by folk dances, parades and more cultural and religious activities. REUTERS/David Mercado
Bolivia Carnival 2012
Dancers of the "Tobas Sud" group perform during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado
Bolivia Carnival 2012
Dancers of "Caporales Centralistas" perform during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado
Bolivia Carnival 2012
A dancer of "Tobas Sud" group performs during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado
Bolivia Carnival 2012
Dancers of the Morenada Central group perform during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado
Bolivia Carnival 2012
A member of from the Diablada Urus group, dressed as an angel, during the Carnival parade in Oruro, some 200 km (124 miles) south of La Paz, Feb. 18, 2012. REUTERS/David Mercado
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