The History of Carnevale and some of Italy’s best Parades
Because there is more to Carnevale than Venezia and Viareggio
Carnevale听is one of the most colorful celebrations in the world. In Italy, we are serious about it. In the end, this is where it was born.
We are all familiar with the 颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听of Venice and that of Viareggio, as well as famous international renditions such as the Carnival in New Orleans, that in Rio and that in Notting Hill (London). 听In Italy, though, every town, even the smallest, has its own Carnevale听parade. Every village celebrates, every family听cooks up a storm to honor this听century long tradition of dancing, masquerading and feasting before the fasting and meditating of Lent.
We have already written about Carnevale‘s food, best known masks听and its vocabulary, where our most famous听Carnevali, such as that of Venezia and Viareggio, have been described within the wider topic of Italian best known international events.
But what about听Carnevale’s origins and historical tradition? What about the genesis of its name and the beauty of its many parades other than Venezia and Viareggio? Read on and find out with us something more about one of Italy’s best loved 鈥� and ancient鈥� traditions. The Venetian Carnival is one of the many !
The origins of Carnevale
The etymology itself of the word听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听has been object of fiery discussions. To some linguists, the word comes from the Latin expression听carrum navalis,听a type of float shaped like a ship used by the Romans when celebrating the 厂补迟耻谤苍补濒颈补,听and in the early centuries of Christian 颁补谤苍别惫补濒别.听Even though this theory is phonetically acceptable, many disagree with it, as it is not historically supported. The theory considered more realistic by the majority of experts sees the term听Carnevale听originating from another Latin expression,听carnem levare,听meaning “taking away meat,” which throughout the centuries became听carne, vale!听(Goodbye,听meat!). This expression was associated with听Ashes Wednesday,听which was the day when Lent began and, therefore, people stopped eating meat.
If defyning听Carnevale听linguistically seems relatively straight forward, pinpointing its historical origins may not be as simple.
颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听is the inheritance of pagan practices from ancient Greece and Rome. Celebrations in honor of the god Bacchus in Greece (the听Baccanals) and听Saturn (the听Saturnalia) in Rome are both counted among听Carnevale‘s ancient relatives. In truth, we could trace听Carnevale‘s origins even earlier, to the very dawn of history:听some believe in the existence of primitive celebrations in honor of the coming of Spring,听where partecipants would paint their faces and bodies and give in to ritualistic dancing and chanting. We are talking about a time much, much earlier than the coming of Christ and any civilization as we know it, around 12 thousand years ago.听Closer to us in time, but always before the birth of Christ, even the Egyptians enjoyed celebrations similar to our听Carnevale, centred on freedom of expression and joviality, held in honor of Isis.
As seen, the Greeks and the Romans kept these ancient rituals alive through their own celebrations and festivals honoring fertility and nature’s rebirth. Once Christianity took over Romanity from a spiritual point of view, acceptance of such type of ritualistic excesses was difficult; at the same time, these were extremely popular festivals, known and spread through the largest Empire Western Mankind had ever had, and getting rid of them was out the question.
With the听diplomatic afflatus and the cunning of always, religious officials decided to transform the pagan in Christian,听much as it happened听with Christmas,听whose date听came to coincide with听pagan celebrations of the Winter solstice. Ceremonies in honor of fertility and Spring were fitted around the Christian liturgical calendar and became, due to the time of the year they regularly fell on, a moment of merry enjoyment before the beginning of Lent, traditionally asssociated with penitence.
All in all,听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听is a period of transition: from the point of view of the pagans, it celebrated the transition between the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring, the听rebirth of nature. For the Christians, it represented (and still represents) one last moment of indulgence before the penitence of Lent, which brings to the celebrations of Easter. In a way, both pagan and Christian celebrations are symbol of new beginning and of a new听birth: that of nature in the Spring, and that of the Soul in Christ.
Because early听Carnevale听followed the time setting of pagan听Saturnalia, it was celebrated straight after Christmas and included New Year’s Eve and the Epiphany; people already enjoyed dressing up and playing tricks then, habits that were to become synonym with听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听itself more than anything else. Story wants that, when still under Roman dominion, yet already Christian from a spiritual point of view, the Gauls took Carnevale‘s celebrations so seriously its excesses were prohibited from Rome. And Rome was one of the first places where听Carnevale听took the shape we know听today: since the centuries of Late Antiquity, when an Emperor was still the ruler of the听caput mundi, 颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听was the time of horse races, floats, egg throwing and tricks pulling, very much as it is, still, today.
Carnevale in the Renaissance
Costumes and masks became a fixture of听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听during the early Renaissance. The masquerade ball was introduced by pope Paul II in the 15th听century and gained approval听especially thanks to the popularity of the characters of the听Commedia dell’Arte,听who are at the origin of many of the most popular Italian听maschere di Carnevale.听罢丑别听Commedia dell’Arte, home of Arlecchino, Pantalone, Pulcinella and all of Italy’s best loved traditional masks, brought on stage human stereotypes (greed, vanity, cunning…) and associated them often to a regional image, creating those visual and linguistic connections we still appreciate today.
The creation and production of masks became a trade in its own right: they were produced and sold also for other celebrations and often used, especially in the 17th听and 18th听centuries as beautiful instruments of seduction by noblewomen and courtisans alike. In France,听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听even managed to survive the mores-wiping effect of the Revolution and enjoyed a blooming period of popularity during the years of Romanticism, between 1820 and 1850.
罢谤补诲颈迟颈辞苍补濒听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听is still very much alive in Italy, where every town and village like to celebrate with, at least, one evening of dressing up and dancing. It听is, however,听very much lost everywhere else in the world, except听of course, for the big Carnivals of Rio or New Orleans, Nice, London and Munich. In Italy, we know it, Venice and Viareggio are Queen and King of听Carnevale,听but are far from being the only cities where beautiful celebrations are organized.
Time to get to know more about it.
Famous Carnevali of Italy
滨惫谤别补听
is known especially for its听battaglia delle Arance听and is considered one of the main cultural institutions of the town. In its essence, it is the re-enactment of a historical event that took place in the Middle Ages, when Ivrea was听controlled and exploited by a series of tyrannical feudatory lords. The people of Ivrea rebelled against them and managed to obtain more freedom. Of course, historical reality took a different, more romantic shape throughout the centuries: the people of Ivrea were听transformed into one, courageous (and beautiful) young woman, who fought against a tyrannical lord and his right to exercise the听ius primae noctis,听a Medieval law according to which the lord of a land had the right, after the marriage of any couple living on its territorial possessions, to pass听the first night under the conjugal roof with the bride.
Violetta, the young daughter of a听miller, rebelled against this听and, once听in the local castle of San Maurizio to spend the night with her rich abuser, killed him with a knife she hid in her hair. This gave start to a popular rebellion which ended tyranny in the area. The battle of the oranges is the symbol of that very rebellion, with the various areas of the town (rioni) fighiting against each other from their floats, some representing the lord’s army, some the people of Ivrea.
罢丑别听Battaglia delle Arance听takes place between the last Sunday of Carnival and Mardi Gras, and is the climax of all celebrations. It is usually followed by the distribution of a meal of听辫辞濒别苍迟补听and cod in听rione Borghetto, an area of the town, symbol of the frugality of Lent’s meals.
Cento
, in the province of Ferrara, is another historical Carnival of Italy. Its origins can be traced back as far as the 17th听century, as its celebration was depicted by local painter Gian Francesco Barbieri “Guercino”听in many of his frescoes. Centered, very much like its famous brother, the听Carnevale di Viareggio, on majestic, colorful floats, Cento’s听Carnevale听used to take inspiration from traditional fables and local tales for their creation.听Since the period between the two wars, however, public figures and famous personalities became favorite subjects. 罢丑别听Carnevale di Cento听has its own king, Tasi, a figure inspired by a real person, Luigi Tasini, who, since the beginning of the 20th听century, has represented the spirit and beauty of the Carnival.
Foiano
听is one of the oldest in Italy: it will celebrate this year its 480th听edition. It is rightly considered one of the most important 颁补谤苍别惫补濒颈听in Italy, both for the beauty of its choreographies and floats and for its historical relevance. The whole celebration revolves around a competition, ideated in the 1930s, among four different听cantieri听(literally, building sites, in this case… float building sites!): those of听Azzurri, Bombolo, Nottambuli听补苍诲听Rustici.听Each produces complex, beautiful, majestic floats, which parade in front of a jury formed by some of the best known art critics of Italy. The floats are magisterial works of mechanics and art. Their dimensions, strictly regulated by official regulamentations, can reach 17 mt in length, 10 mt in width and 13 mt in height (56 ft x 33 ft x 43 ft).
King Giocondo is Foiano’s best loved mask: it is him to open each of the Sunday Parades throughout the 颁补谤苍别惫补濒别,听followed by the main floats,听people in costumes and musicians, until the last day of festivities, when its effigy is burned during the spectacular ceremony of the听rificolonata.听
Putignano
The, in Puglia, is probably the most popular 颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听in the South of Italy. Considered the听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听that lasts for more days, it is rich in traditions, rituals and events. Apparently, or so legend says, the first听Carnevale听in Putignano was celebrated in 1394. What characterizes Putignano is its symbol,听Farinella.听Farinella is a mask, a character created in the 1950s by Mimmo Casale, a graphic artist; she takes her name from a typical rustic dish of the area, made with chickpeas and barley flour.
One last mention should be made about the celebrations of听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听in Milan. The dioceses of Milan is the only one in the world not following the Roman Liturgical calendar for Easter, but its own, called听Ambrosiano, after the patron saint of the city (and Father of the Church) Saint Ambrose. In the Ambrosian Calendar,听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别听lasts four days longer, because Lent does not start on Ashes Wednesday, but on the first Sunday of Lent. Tradition says it is this way because Ambrose, when bishop of Milan, was called away from the city around the end of听Carnevale听and was to miss Ashes Wednesday with his congregation. To avoid that, he asked to postpone the liturgy for the beginning of Lent to the following Sunday, when he was to return. True or not, the liturgical calendar of Milan and its dioceses was changed听forever, and so the length of听Milan’s听颁补谤苍别惫补濒别.听
Carnevale during Covid-19
The pandemic has changed the way Italians celebrate the Carnival. How did the cities react?
In 2021, Venice has chosen to move the party online, offering the international audience the chance of live streaming and dedicated Virtual Rooms. The city of Viareggio is aiming to celebrate in the fall (the official dates are September 18, 26 and October 2,3,9), perhaps in the hope that the Covid-19 situation improves.
On the other hand, the Carnival of Ivrea has been cancelled, while the city of Cento has pushed the dates into summer. The Carnival will happen, but instead of February it will be in May (23, 30) and June (6.13,20). Riccardo Manservisi is the Artistic Director. He explained the change in dates to Il Resto del Carlino.
鈥淔or the first time ever, we鈥檝e accepted the challenge of a summer edition. We wanted to have more time to plan it, hoping the contagions curve will decline and that we will have more freedom. And perhaps a vaccine.鈥�
Francesca Bezzone
Check out our other articles dedicated to Carnevale: see some beautiful masks from Venice Carnevale,听or read about Carnevale’s typical food, its traditional masks and vocabulary.听
