Mask Carnival, Venice (February 6th - February 16th , 2010)Back to the events list
The Venice mask carnival is one of the oldest and most popular festivals in Italy. It is also one of the most original and colorful events of the year: a world of masks and life itself reminds every visitor about a theater stage among the water channels. The history of the carnival has its ups and downs, its glory day and days when the carnival was less popular. But real fame, growth and glory came to the carnival during the 18th Century, when dances on the stage, luxurious dresses, embroidered in gold and decorated with precious gems, carnival costumes suddenly become a model and trend setting prototypes for clothing fashion years to come. Under the cover of the masks passion is born and dies, and the characters of the Italian "Comedia Dell'Arte" go out into the city streets and become a live part of the Mask Carnival. Like a bright ray of light ripped from the sun, the carnival warms the humid and foggy winter nights in Venice. And in an instant the night lights up with the gold of the costumes, the silver of the laces, and the bright colors of the masks. But among all the joyfulness of the masks, there sometimes appears a black mask of Death – reminding people at the carnival that nothing lasts forever. It is this particularity of the carnival in Venice which makes the event even more magical, mystical, and intriguing.
The roots of the Venice carnival go back to the Roman Saturnalias and the Dionysus cult. The ancient holidays were often related to agricultural calendar and usually coincided with the end of the harvests, and harvest related work; they were a separation point between the fall and winter season, or between winter and spring. And since it was widely believed that laughter and entertainment complement good harvests, life usually got really exciting around this time of year. Apparently, the tradition to wear mask and dress in costumes for a carnival appeared in relation to harvest season holidays. For a brief period of time the workers and their masters had equal rights, in order to create confusion as to who is who, and everyone had to wear masks. During the Christian era loud parties and festivals became a regular occurrence before the Lint. People of faith would get an opportunity to relax before the long period of abstinence and self restraint practiced during the Lint. By the way, according to the most popular version, the word "carnival" came to be from a Latin phrase meaning goodbye meat – "carne vale".
The carnival in Venice is one of the greatest holidays in Italy. This carnival attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world each year. The Venice carnival also happens to be one of the most ancient holidays in the world: it appeared during the Medieval times, when the average duration of holidays was several months in a given year. The spiritual fathers of this extraordinary event are considered to be the aristocrats of Venice, who invented the holiday in order to compensate for their desire to show off in front of each other wearing the most impressive, original and expensive costumes and masks.
According to some unwritten laws of medieval carnivals, during the actual event all the common social norms were temporarily canceled and everyone could do whatever they please. Riches and poverty became a real confusion when the people were wearing masks, and any commoner could hope for the attention of a princess, and a patrician could easily seduce a seamstress, which would have been outrageous to even think about during a normal course of life during those times. By the end of the 18th Century, under the pressure of the revolutionary storms, the carnival practically disappeared, and became revived only in the 1970s.
In modern Italy the carnival is celebrated for two weeks. Several days of before the official opening of the carnival the city starts receiving romantic guests from all across Europe, and the street become moderately flooded with processions of people with orchestras and street theaters: the people are having a lot of fun, they blow horns, dance, sing, beat on the drums, launch fireworks – basically they are doing everything they can that represents a carnival mood for everyone.
Retailers are putting up carnival products for sale: masks, coats, hats – today any volunteer can become fully integrated into the carnival festivities by simply purchasing a costume and a mask. The day of the official opening in the square of Saint Marcus Plaza is marked by a street staging of the Comedia Dell'Arte: the followers of the great Scaramouch assiduously slap the face of the Captain and the Doctor, each gets his turn. After that the square is stormed by a tons of confetti and the ski is almost colored by thousands of balloons. Thus the carnival begins. What must one do afterwards remains a mystery, just listen to your heart. People in masks take turns climbing onto the stage to say something, or just walk and shine. The view is quite impressive since some of the costumes are real masterpieces.
Traditional costumes and masks can be purchased just about anywhere you look, but many prefer to create their own unique art. The street are filled with magicians, jugglers, mimes, and acrobats. Anyone can make a show, anyone with at least some talent, that is.
The main idea of the carnival consists of the fact that participants get a chance to live through a real change in their hearts, they become a part of a multicultural, diverse crowd, where a new dimension for both romantic and friendly encounters is completely undiscovered, a lot of magic can happen during the Venice carnival. Unexpected things, and other miracles await you.
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