CHIAVARI, Italy - Carnival
starts this week and in just a few days the streets of Chiavari will be
littered with confetti and globs of silly string and the kids take to the
streets dressed like princesses and Barbary pirates, eye patches and all. Every town has its own unique Carnival
festivity but I think Carnival in Venice is probably the most famous.
Almost everybody knows about
that blow out, dress up party that the Venetians do so well, but did you know
it actually began as a pagan festival called Saturnalia. Saturn was the Roman
God of the Harvest, and Saturnalia was more or less their Thanksgiving.
The festival was supposed to commemorate the merry
reign of Saturn, the god of agriculture who lived on earth long ago as a
righteous
and beneficent king of Italy. The story is that it was Saturn who brought the
uneducated and scattered
dwellers on the mountains of Italy
together, taught them to work the land, gave them laws and ruled in peace.
Back in the day (the day of
the Romans) the festivities would start with a sacrifice (some say human but
that’s debatable) at the Temple of Saturn followed by a public banquet. It was
the only time of the year when slaves and masters could hide their faces behind
masks and eat, drink and dance (and maybe do some other things too) as equals.
Celebrating
carnival in Italy first shows up in the history books in 1092 AD. Wearing masks
is newer, it only goes back to the 13th century. And this is interesting,
in 1268 the Council of Venice outlawed men throwing scented eggs at ladies.
Can't imagine why they threw them in the first place. Maybe guys have always
been weird, even back then.
The masks have
their own story. Take the bauta, for example, shown above. It was regulated under Venetian
law and lawmakers had to wear such a mask at certain political decision-making
sessions when all citizens were to be considered equals.
It only referred
to men of course, but the reason for it was to guarantee free, equal and secret
ballots. Just as an aside, it was specifically forbidden by law to carry
weapons of any type when wearing the mask and Venetian police enforced that law
with vigor.
Because of all the
hanky-panky that went on during Carnival, and still does, the Italian
government has tried for centuries to restrict celebrations and ban the wearing
of masks. But I think they’ve just about given up on that idea. It’s too much
fun.
Unlike Carnival in Brazil
which is celebrated with a huge parade with floats and dancing girls, in Venice
the people are the show. Men, women and sometimes children parade up and down
and all around Piazza San Marco, and pose for photos on Venice’s famous
bridges. All in costume and masks of course, although this guy (photo above) looks like he
puts this outfit on every day of the week.
I think that's her hair
sticking out of the top of her hat, but I can't be sure. All I know is that
after the gondola and boat parades along the Grand Canal, after the confetti
and multi-colored streamers that fly through the air, Carnival in Venice ends
with a great fireworks show, and grand galas in elegant Venetian palazzi. Those
Venetians really know how to throw a party.
This is so awesome!!!!!
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