The Carnival of Venice
Venice is the Carnival? No, sorry: the Carnival is Venice!
The Carnival of Venice is one of the most important holidays appointments of Venice, animated by music, dances and masked disguises of Venetians, tourists and curious. For a period of about ten days the Carnival of Venice falls during the pre-Easter coincidence. Fat-Thursday and Fat-Tuesday the last day of tradition who see the culmination of vivacity, participation and presence of tourist in the town in every corner of the historic center of Venice, crossing streets, sestieri, bridges, fields and small squares with theatrical and musical performances.
They are the Municipality of Venice, the Teatro La Fenice, the Venice Biennale and the Tourist Board of Venice to finance and organize large part of that thanks to its thickness international for decades has become the source of greatest tourist attraction for City of Venice. Sponsors, television networks and cultural foundations contribute to amplify prestige and global reach of the phenomenon.
There is a great tradition since 1094 and for many centuries be celebrating several months of carnival festivities. A period of eclipse Carnival due to the fall of the Republic of Venice and a rebound in 1979 (which provides a substantial reduction in days of festivities) lead to Carnival of Venice today.
Reflections from the water, lights, colors, paillettes and sequins are proliferating in our lagoon basin. That was enough to add the classic handful of seasoned stars to flash countless tourists to immerse yourself in the most famous carnival in the world, however, is to be re-evaluated: the Carnival of Venice is much more.
Missed appointment with charm, art, history and mystery never revealed a city without time, the event Venetian accompanies the hands admirers come from all over the world to discover the variety of flavors sweetened by warm notes of famous local melodies, become international over the centuries.
Seven hundred fifty actors and twenty five theatre companies, musicians and thirty six hundred and fifty band music (for a total of two hundred and twenty hours of entertainment and almost one million and a half euros to finance the entire event) tell the huge involvement of the city of Venice, prepared to invest creativity, work and money to promote new initiatives. Forty thousands tourists in the only opening day of the carnival edition.
How developed over the centuries this Venetian cocktail of magic, entertainment, music, theatrical, stilts, tricks, masks and good humor? We must take a step backwards. Many steps backwards. Because lagoon vivacity of colors and costumes diversified lent already in the tenth century: to prepare for religious devotion and sacrifices Venetians began to observe a wide range mundane, lit of offense, excess and fun. Parentheses so healthy grant from the Serenissima lasting several months, months in which succeeded to delude his subjects poorest can thanks to the powerful processing and to anonymity of disguise. Thus, lively festivals officers and private parties in sumptuous palaces patricians, where sex and gambling were to be master, to acrobats, puppeteers, dancers, tight-rope walkers, musicians and every kind of artist street that motivated Venetians fields and squares.
The trail of traditions leads so far. The Flight of Turkish turns over the centuries in Flight of Colombina, until you come to our days as Angel's Flight. Several players, same practice: an acrobat, a dove of wood and a girl with the wings fell from Campanile di San Marco the crowd every year enchanted as was the first. And in this way the History tells what each edition Carnival of Venice recalls.
Pantalone, Columbina, Balanzone, Brighella and Harlequin come from the Commedia of Arte sixteenth century. Bussolai, baicoli, zaeti, golosessi, pancakes and galani attract connoisseurs for centuries. "La vedova scaltra", "Le massere" and "I rusteghi" animate from the pen of Carlo Goldoni theatres more contemporary lit. Saltimbanchi, mangiafuochi, jugglers, puppeteers, tight-rope walkers and fireworks are reborn every year to gather in St. Mark's the beauty of one hundred and fifty thousand people.
And if anyone of them will still asked if Venice is the Carnival, they kindly reply: "Venice is the Carnival? No, sorry: Carnival is Venice!"
