The annual carnival in Venice

The annual carnival in the world's most romantic city takes place in February. This holiday is held at the junction of Catholic Ash Wednesday and Orthodox Clean Monday. The Venice Carnival does not last one day, but takes about ten days.

History of origins.

Carnival, held annually in modern Venice, has its origins in ancient Rome. The festivals held at that time, marking the harvest, are precisely the basis of the Venetian festivities. In ancient Rome it was customary to celebrate these festivals in grand style and, in spite of class differences, great feasts were held in which all walks of life took part.

The first information about carnival held in Venice appeared in the documents of 1094. In order to appear at the carnival it was necessary to wear a mask, which was supposed to hide not only the face, but also what class the person belonged to. People who did not have a mask on their face could not participate in the carnival. At that time, the mask was a carnival attribute, and those who wore it outside of the feast were punished. Men were imprisoned for two years and women were publicly beaten.

In the 19th century, the upper classes of Italian society decided to abolish the celebration of carnival. However, already in 1970, the Italian government resumed the historical tradition. Currently, the Venice Carnival has become very popular not only among Italians, but also among tourists. Each year, more than thirty thousand travelers go to Italy to take part in the celebration.

Modern traditions.

Immediately before the carnival there is a celebration of the liberation of Italian girls who had been kidnapped by pirates who had sailed from Spain. The carnival procession is held throughout the city and begins in St. Mark's Square, where comedies are performed. The entire city is covered by the celebration of the historic holiday, and the theaters of Venice especially honor this tradition. They present performances dedicated to the Venetian Carnival.

What to make a mask out of if you suddenly decide to go to Carnival in Venice? In ancient times, the material for the mask was all available materials. Of course, this referred to the poor strata of the population, but the rich classes, unlike the poor, made and decorated their masks with the richest materials. Nowadays the materials for masks are not well established, but in general they are made of leather and in the technique of papier-mache. A mask is decorated according to the mood, desire and taste of its owner.