Last year, during the period between about two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ending on Shrove Tuesday, I ventured to Venice to revel and make merry for their annual celebration: the Carnival of Venice. I have been to many festivals across the globe, and have thoroughly enjoyed most of them, but the Carnival of Venice is truly a party you don't want to miss!
The day I arrived in Venice was the first day of the Carnival and the streets were already bustling with masked men and women. I checked into my hotel, one of the nicer Venice hotels in the downtown district, and I immediately unpacked my costumes and masks ready, armed, and well-equipped to begin partying. All the hotels in Venice were booked and packed with revelers and you could feel the energy in the streets, imbuing the whole city with a type of magical whimsy.
Italy has a long history of masques or masked party events. Saturnalia, an Ancient Roman festival, predates the Carnival of Venice by many years; it began in 217 BC, but shares a defining quality that still permeates the modern Carnival of Venice; both festivals use masks, dress-up, and role-play to transcend the class divisions. During Saturnalia, the masters would dress up as slaves and vice-versa, and during the Carnival of Venice, roles are switched and masks create a temporary, veritable egalitarian state. Both parties relish role-play, the ability to transform, disfiguration and transfiguration, and everyone is avidly invited to join in on the festivities. North America could certainly benefit from this type of celebration in more ways than one.
I vacationed in Venice for two weeks during the Carnival of Venice, and everyday I was clothed in various costumes and masks and I happily adopted new identities based on the day, based on my fancy, and based on my costume/mask for the day. Shedding identities like a snake shedding its skin felt immensely invigorating. I would exhort any/all of my friends to try it out for themselves as it is an invariably refreshing, fun, and revitalizing experience.
The day I arrived in Venice was the first day of the Carnival and the streets were already bustling with masked men and women. I checked into my hotel, one of the nicer Venice hotels in the downtown district, and I immediately unpacked my costumes and masks ready, armed, and well-equipped to begin partying. All the hotels in Venice were booked and packed with revelers and you could feel the energy in the streets, imbuing the whole city with a type of magical whimsy.
Italy has a long history of masques or masked party events. Saturnalia, an Ancient Roman festival, predates the Carnival of Venice by many years; it began in 217 BC, but shares a defining quality that still permeates the modern Carnival of Venice; both festivals use masks, dress-up, and role-play to transcend the class divisions. During Saturnalia, the masters would dress up as slaves and vice-versa, and during the Carnival of Venice, roles are switched and masks create a temporary, veritable egalitarian state. Both parties relish role-play, the ability to transform, disfiguration and transfiguration, and everyone is avidly invited to join in on the festivities. North America could certainly benefit from this type of celebration in more ways than one.
I vacationed in Venice for two weeks during the Carnival of Venice, and everyday I was clothed in various costumes and masks and I happily adopted new identities based on the day, based on my fancy, and based on my costume/mask for the day. Shedding identities like a snake shedding its skin felt immensely invigorating. I would exhort any/all of my friends to try it out for themselves as it is an invariably refreshing, fun, and revitalizing experience.
Articles Source: Venice: The City of Masks
Republished by Direct From Venice an online Venetian glass jewelry store.
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