The
magic of carnival gives Venice an
enchanted feeling. Everywhere feels lively and jubilant, but the city also is
very crowded.
This
past weekend, we visited Venice during the opening weekend of “La
Festa Veneziana,” which featured a music and light show parade on the
Rio di Cannaregio on the first night. (Unfortunately, we couldn’t access this
event because the streets were insanely overcrowded, so we went to a wine bar
instead.) But on Sunday, we stood outside our hotel and watched the Carnival Regatta along the Grand Canal
which consisted of countless gondolas and assorted boats with people decked out
in splendid costumes. I couldn’t resist sharing many of the regatta photos I
took, so I hope you don’t mind.
The
theme of this year’s Carnevale di Venezia
is “Playing,” and the carnival festivities run until February 13th. That
means you still have several days to enjoy the carnival parties in Venice, or
you can start planning your trip for 2019.
Gondolas
with people decorated as pirates or animals seemed to be two of the most common
themes. It was quite odd to see a cow and a zebra rowing a gondola!
And even more pirates!
And even more pirates!
History of Masks in Venice
I
was surprised to learn that the history of Carnivale in Venice and the use of
decorated masks dates back many centuries. In fact, carnival became an official
public festivity in 1296, with an act of the Senate of the Republic of Venice,
but its origins are even older. In official documents dating to 1094, they state
there were already public celebrations held in the days preceding Lent.
For
several hundred years, in the weeks leading up to Lent, people wore masks and
costumes, making it easier to hide the wearer's identity and social status, or
even to make fun of the aristocracy. The festivities also included public shows
with musicians, dancers and jugglers throughout the city.
This
past weekend, many locals and tourists alike, dressed in extravagant costumes, walked
around the main areas of Venice and happily stopped to pose for photos. I was
impressed!
We even joined the Carnival fun and bought two handmade masks at Ca ‘Macana, an atelier started by penniless students back in 1984. This small shop, bursting to the brim with papier- mâché masks, gained fame when it produced the masks for the movie “Eyes Wide Shut” directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1999. You’ll find several ateliers in the artsy-studenty Dorsoduro neighborhood (which also contains several fun wine bars). Expect to pay at least 30 euros to more than 100 euros for an ornate handmade mask. However, you can find inexpensive plastic and fabric eye masks for only 3 euros at many tourist stands in the city center.
We even joined the Carnival fun and bought two handmade masks at Ca ‘Macana, an atelier started by penniless students back in 1984. This small shop, bursting to the brim with papier- mâché masks, gained fame when it produced the masks for the movie “Eyes Wide Shut” directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1999. You’ll find several ateliers in the artsy-studenty Dorsoduro neighborhood (which also contains several fun wine bars). Expect to pay at least 30 euros to more than 100 euros for an ornate handmade mask. However, you can find inexpensive plastic and fabric eye masks for only 3 euros at many tourist stands in the city center.
More Carnival Regatta Photos
While
the regatta rowed by, I tried to snap photos as fast as I could in the sports
mode setting. Even if a few photos are out of focus, I think you can still
admire how elaborate some of the costumes were.
We may
have missed the main Carnival festivities in Venice, but we still had a
wonderful time.
Have you attended Carnival in Venice or
someplace else?