Fun Facts: Carnevale in Venice

{The 2019 Girl's Trip to Italy is fast approaching! A few years ago my sister and I organized a girls' trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast; this time, there will be 32 of us living la dolce vita as we tour Tuscany and northern Italy. And because we don't want so much to visit the country as to live, breathe, taste and experience it, we hold information sessions at my house. #LaDolceVitaTravels #KnowBeforeYouGo}

1- Farewell to meat. The term Carnival derives from the Latin words carne (meat) and vale (go away), so it literally means farewell to meat. Originally this referred to the final banquet preceding Ash Wednesday which marked the beginning of Lent. Because the 40 days of Lent required abstaining from meat and indulgent foods such as sugar and fats, people would try to get rid of all of their rich food and drink before Lent.

2- Masked freedom. To the rich and poor, illustrious and destitute, shipwrights and fishermen, Christians, Jews, men and women, donning a mask during carnevale meant freedom from the city’s strict hierarchy; in other words, the elaborate masks gave everyone the social freedom to interact. 

3- Flight of the Angel in Venice. The opening ritual of carnevale is marked by the Flight of the Angel, a young girl who descends along a rope from the top of St. Mark’s bell tower down into St. Mark’s Square where, according to tradition, she embraces the Doge.

4- Types of Masks. There are many types of Carnival masks, each with a unique history. Over the centuries, different styles of masks have come in and out of fashion, but three of the more popular include:

Bauta

Traditionally plain white, this mask covers the whole face with a slightly beaked mouth to let the wearer eat, drink and speak without removing it. Today, the masks are often gilded and beautifully painted.

Colombina

The Colombina is a half-mask that covers mainly the eyes, and was popular with women who didn’t want to cover their whole face. The mask gives a little more freedom and is an easier style to wear as it is usually tied in place with a ribbon.

The Plague Doctor

One of the more sinister and recognizable of the Venetian masks. The long, protruding beaks were based on masks real plague doctors wore to treat patients. The beak would have been filled with soaked sponges to stop them from breathing in the virus and to mask the smells of sickness.