Festivals: The Venetian Carnival

The Venetian Carnival

The Venetian Carnival, an intriguing mix of gorgeous masquerades, street fairs, high-end balls, and tourist craze set against the beautiful scenery of Venice, is one of the most famous and highly anticipated events in the world. The Venetian Carnival in its present form has been celebrated since 1979, when the Italian government and Venetian civic society decided to revive it as an attempt to re-ignite interest in Venice and its rich traditions.

However, the original Venetian Carnival has a long history that dates it back to the 12th century. Its origins are to be found in two ancient traditions: the Latin Saturnalia and the Greek Dionysian cults - major religious festivals involving the use of masks and symbolic representations. Others agree that Venetian Carnival has its roots in Christian tradition and that it has likely evolved as a way for people to indulge in life’s pleasures and have fun in the days before the solemn period of Christian Lent.

These parties were important because it was the only time when the lower and upper classes mingled together. Aristocrats and peasants, disguised by their masks, played out their fantasies together. They indulged in illicit activities like gambling, clandestine affairs, political assassination, and dancing and partying the night away.

Venetian Masks

Masks have always been an important feature of the Venetian Carnival. Traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) and the start of the carnival season at midnight of Shrove Tuesday. As masks were also allowed on Ascension and from October 5 to Christmas, people could spend a large portion of the year in disguise. Mask-makers enjoyed a special position in society back then.

The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most Italian masks are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate.

Today, Venice attracts tourists from all over the world and every year the Carnival in Venice transforms the city into a cocktail of parties and fun with its distinctive appointments of entertainment, gastronomy and music.