by Louisa Loring
By now Venice’s annual Carnival
festival is no mystery; its name alone evokes images of colorful masks and
crowded piazzas. It is now so popular
that people, tourists or not, flock from all over to get a glimpse of the
luring masks and tantalizing shows and parades.
Other towns even have their own carnivals nowadays so everyone can take
part in this beloved celebration. This year it starts on February 15th and ends
on March 4th, Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday to mark the start of
Lent. In fact, the name Carnival means
“farewell to meat” as it marks this Christian celebration in which followers
commit to some form of fasting or giving something up.
Carnival is
a tradition that has been taking place for centuries, starting in the 11th
century. Historically, this was a time
when people of all classes took part in the festivities, including, parades,
music and various shows, disguised in masks and costumes, often characters from
the 16th century theater genre known as the ‘Commedia
dell’arte’. Today, this is still the
case but it is clear the masks and costumes and developed and transformed to
catch up with the 21st century.
There are two main types of masks that people wear, the bauta, heavily gilded and covers the
entire face or the columbina, a half
mask that covers the eyes, nose and upper half of the face, secured with a ribbon. Both those who are part of the parades and
shows and those who come to marvel have the chance to disguise their true
identity for a day. As a spectator, you
can purchase a mask prior to coming or at one of the many shops that sell a
variety of masks from the more simpler columbina
to a highly elaborate mask made by one of the venetian artisans who have been
passing down this craft for hundreds of years.
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| Carnival in St. Mark's Square, Venice |
Each year
the carnival prizes itself on a different theme or idea to bring everyone
together. To celebrate the growing
interrelations between different cultures, this year’s carnival is themed upon
wonder and fantasy. The theme is rooted in the idea that every culture has its
own expression, through fantasy and fairytales, of life. Often, these tales
express the relationships between the environment and humans through images of
mystical creatures and landscapes speckled with mankind. These fairytales have historically been a way
to also answer the big question of the origin of life. Thus, masks will be inspired and designed by
traditional fairytales and short stories of all cultures from western to
African, Arabian, Mongolian, Indian and Mesoamerican in the hopes to inspire us
to rediscover the importance and symbology of fantasy. And there certainly isn’t a better city that Venice to act as a stage
with all its magical and mysterious corners, bridges and piazzas.
It is no
surprise that the St. Mark’s square is the focal point of the carnival. No matter which day you go, you won’t miss
the showing of the best dressed as people march in two morning and afternoon
parades to battle for the ‘Best Masked Costume’ contest. Of course, the winners will be selected based
upon their dedication to wonder and fantasy.
Amongst these parades there will be various entertainment, clowning and
street theatre to liven up the piazza and keep you coming for more by involving
the spectators. Every parade is
different as performers and street acts are always new and exciting, evoking
smiles, laughter and the chance to take part in the show. If you aren’t able to make it in the morning,
it is never too late because there is never a lull in the entertainment during
these weeks. Every day during lunchtime
between 1pm and 3pm there will be music and dance performances inspired by
various cultural traditions.
Carnival in
Venice is not
just a time for entertainment but also, a time for new art that communicates
ideas and traditions from various cultures.
Every year, cultural projects including literature, photo, poetry, film
and performance art will be submitted and judged based on their relevance to
this years theme. At the end of the festival, these works will be published as
texts.
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| Frappe |
It is also
a time for sweets and treats. Every
region of Italy
has its own name and tradition to celebrate carnival through taste and
smell. The best known are ‘frittelle’
and ‘frappe’, both types of fried dough.
Frittelle are softer inside and sometimes flavored with lemon or apple
while frappe are thin, crisp pieces of dough dusted with powdered sugar. You won’t be able to resist the smells
wafting from bakeries in every ally.
But not to worry if you are too absorbed with the entertainment to taste
because you can easily find them all over, no matter where you are in Italy.
Carnival is
something that everyone can take part in, whether you want to make it a day
trip or stay overnight. You can either
stay in the city or stay close by and come in for a couple of days. You can visit the official site here to book tickets, find suggestions and a
program of events.
2014 Venice
Carnival highlights:
Friday 14th February: Prologue, Valentine’s Day
Saturday 15th February: Opening of the Venetian
Festival with a show, Cannaregio
Sunday 16th February: Boat pageant – Grand
Canal – Cannaregio
Saturday 22nd February: The traditional "Festa
delle Marie"
Sunday 23rd February: Flight of the Angel
Saturday 1st March: Float parade, Marghera
Sunday 2nd March: Flight of the Eagle and Flight of
the Donkey, Mestre
Tuesday 4th March: Flight of the Lion and Prize Giving
Ceremony for the "Maria" of the Carnival 2014
From 22nd February to 4th March: Best Masked Costume
contest
If you have
ever been to an Eataly before, this
one is no different with various restaurants nuzzled in various corners of a
gourmet grocery store that prizes itself on supporting Slow Food products and
local produce. Eataly Firenze has partnered with the farm Azienda Agricola Radici to bring local, organic produce to the
store. There are eight different eating areas, pizza, open just for dinner and
fish, meat and pasta, all open for lunch and dinner, amongst others. If that doesn’t give you enough choice, you
can warm up with a bowl of soup at the casual restaurant Le Verdure e Le Zuppe, run by two brothers from the Trattoria Da Burde where you can find
traditional Tuscan soups such a ribollita.
Never tried Lamprodotto, the traditional Florentine sandwhich? This
might be the time with Luca Cai who is serving up one after another. If you are looking for something a little
less casual, you can dine at the restaurant Da
Vinci, run by chef Enrico Panero, which opened just days ago on the top
floor where you can find also the enoteca to enjoy a glass of wine with light
fare such as crostini or various cured meats.
To top things off, if you saved room for desert there is a bakery and
coffee bar. 
