Parades close four days of Colombia's Barranquilla Carnival Revellers end four days of partying in Colombia's Barranquilla Carnival, one of the largest in the world, with parades and the 'funerals' of the character 'Joselito Carnaval' who symbolizes the joy of the carnival and 'died' from excess drinking and partying. The Carnival, a tradition created by locals at the end of the 19th century as a response and to parody the celebrations held by European immigrants and aristocracy, was declared a "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO in 2003.