Carnevale di Venezia

What is it about wearing a costume that feels liberating? That grants a certain freedom? The freedom from ourselves and to be anyone, or anything, we want to be. The disguise seems to give us power and mystique -- to tell us, "Anything is possible."

In America, the possibilities are endless for just the one night in October, but at Carnevale in Italy, playful mischief runs rampant in the cobbled streets of Venice.

Piazza San Marco is usually the place to be during the weeks of Carnevale where people of all shapes, all sizes, and all colors of the spectrum are seen. Venetians will go out of their way to impress both the locals and the tourists with their elaborately decorative masks and dress, walking the streets and posing for pictures. But Carnevale is more than that.

History of Carnevale

The celebrations of carnevale are rumored believed to have began after the victory of the "Repubblica della Serenissima" -- or Venice at that time -- against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia, in 1162. Rejoicing, the Venetians celebrated their victory in San Marco Square.

The dancing and dressing up in rich and colorful garments went on for several centuries until the 17th century. And if today's standards of Carnevale are any indication, sounds like that would have been one helluva party in that time! Unfortunately, the festival met its decline in the 18th century.

After a long absence, the carnival returned in 1979. The Italian government decided to bring back the festivities to share Venezia's culture and history by using Carnevale as the centerpiece for their efforts. Today, around 3 million visitors attend the event of the festival.

Behind the Mask

Wearing masks is a common practice during Carnevale and are traditionally worn from December 26th to Shrove Tuesday (we may commonly call this "Fat" Tuesday) just before the start of Lent.

Here are some common masks worn at Carnevale:

The Bauta

The Columbina

Medico della Peste

The Moretta

The Volto (Larva)

Let the Celebrations Begin

The huge "Festa Veneziana" sets the stage for the beginning of Carnevale, inviting guests in with poetry, music, and colors on the banks of Cannaregio.

The Best Masked Costume Contest is held twice daily throughout Carnevale at the Gran Teatro of Piazza San Marco. Here, parades, street artists, masked groups and traditional dancers perform on the stage of the Gran Teatro.

The parade of the "Marie's" to San Marco Square

Another one of the many activities of Carnevale is the "Festa delle Marie." Traditionally, the Venetian Doge would offer extravagant jewelry as a bridal dowry to 12 beautiful Venetian maidens every year. These maidens are considered to be the most beautiful in all of Venice.

The festivities during Carnevale are not in short supply with everything to entertain you. Music, singing, dancing and, of course, mischief are around every corner of the winding narrow streets of Venice. But with all of the activities going on there is only one rule to keep in mind: Carnevale ogni scherzo vale ~ Anything goest at Carnevale...

NOTE: NONE of these photos were taken by me nor do they belong to me.