Carnival!

When we think of carnivals, we think of cotton candy stands, shows, and various other ride attractions. However, the carnivals, especially in Italy, are conducted in a much different matter. Instead of clowns and cotton candy, they wear masks and consider it as a holiday. The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in northern Italy. The Carnival starts 58 days before Easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday, which is referred to as Fat Tuesday or Martedì Grasso-the day before Ash Wednesday.  The origins of this celebration can be compared to our version of the Forth of July. This celebration of “liberation” was from a victory of the "Repubblica della Serenissima", which was Venice's previous name. They were forced to fight against the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico. After their victory, in honor of the heroes, the people started to create cheers and dances through reunions in San Marco Square. This reunion did not become official, though, until the Renaissance Period.  Today, approximately 3,000,000 visitors come to Venice each day for Carnivals. Venice is renowned for their beautiful masks even in the eastern hemisphere.

When I went to visit, I was taken aback at just how large and lively the celebration was. I came during one of the most important events. It was the contest for the best mask. This event, which occurs at the end of the carnival (which is a main reason I was so surprised they still were so lively). There was a crowd of lined couples walking down the streets, all in beautiful masks and gowns. A jury of international costume and fashion designers votes for "La Maschera piu bella", or the most beautiful masks.  It was like living in a Disney movie with all those dressed up people around me! Of course I wanted a mask. That is until I saw the prices. The average price for a handmade mask was around seventy dollars…needless to say I got one of the smaller scale masks.