Venice Carnival: What is happening this week?

Thanks to a great list of What is Happening in Venice on http://www.carnivalofvenice.com     

2014 Carnival highlights:
Friday 14th February: Prologue, Valentine’s Day
Saturday 15th February: Opening of the Venetian Festival with a show, Cannaregio
Sunday 16th February: Boat pageant – Grand Canal – Cannaregio
Sunday 23rd February: Flight of the Angel
Saturday 1st March: Float parade, Marghera
Sunday 2nd March: Flight of the Eagle and Flight of the Donkey, Mestre
Monday 3rd March: Carnival Culture Night
Tuesday 4th March: Flight of the Lion, Silent Water Parade, the Great Fire
From 22nd February to 4th March: Best Masked Costume contest and musical evenings


SAINT MARK’S SQUARE
Daily parades
Every day a company of multilingual comedians will liven up the two morning and afternoon parades, where the best masked costumes will defy each other to win the traditional Best Masked Costume contest. Contestants will be selected by spectators who will then vote and may take their favourites to victory. Every day two winners will be selected to go straight to the Sunday finale. The winning style will clearly be the one that pays homage to Fantasy Nature, a recurring theme in the comedians costumes which will be inspired by the animal and vegetable fantasy world.
Entertainment, Clowning and Street Theatre
During each parade up to three entertainment companies will perform in street theatre shows, clowning, music and dancing. The shows will be selected according to their consistence with the theme and their purpose will be to liven up the square and involve the spectators. The selected shows will target all audiences and they will also be viewable from afar.
Lunch-Time Music Entertainment
Between 1pm and 3pm the square will be animated by a music and dance performance inspired by the world of nature and fantasy tradition.
Musical Evenings
Each evening will focus on a fantasy animal or a mythological creature from the natural world. The selected artist shall perform a show that is a metaphor of the theme or a symbolic-ritual homage. The Art Director will evaluate the proposals for each evening by theme as well as by artist. The show themes will include fantasy metamorphoses like the Phoenix, Leda’s Swan, Daphne’s Laurel Tree; or fantasy animals like the White Lion, the Werewolf Night, the Red Dragon; or more ironic and snarky representations of Donkeys, Rabbits, Foxes, Roosters and any other animals which are featured in international popular culture anthropomorphic irony.

CULTURAL OFFERINGS
Literature, Image and Myth of fantasy nature: animals, monsters and metamorphoses.
The theme of fantasy nature, metamorphosis, fantasy creatures mixing human and animal features has always excited human imagination and has been narrated in poetry, prose and drama in countless shapes, by many authors. This year the cultural projects that will be developed and selected will be based on works focusing on these themes, whether in musical, staging, reading, dance, or film format. The theme of fantasy nature unites these shows and events which at the end of the festival will be published as texts in one book.

THE FOREST IN THE CAMPI
This year the main city campi, traditional settings of entertainment and performance projects, will be coordinated on the metaphor of Fantasy Nature, in music and design, creating a Forest Living in a city of Stone. The idea is to prepare actual plant/flower arrangements with the (temporary) planting of trees and other plants to decorate the traditional stages and recreational facilities.
A musical programme will be developed for a young audience and it will be possible to dress up as, put make up on or simply wear the mask of the symbolic animal that the campo will be named after: Campo of the Grouse, of the Donkey, of the Wolf and of the Fox. Each campo will feature an animal inhabiting the fantasy Carnival Forest.

Venice: the ultimate party, Carnival!

Carnival in New Orleans is NOTHING like the


 bad ass party that is Carnival in Venice!


I may never be able to attend Carnival but I can dream ................
Now that I know there are parties, dances, special events and the pomp of parading in costumes......it has long been my theory that people act differently with the anonymity of a mask.

I have used the information my Venice contacts have shared, foot notes include all the sources but my conclusions are my own....

2014 Carnival highlights:
Friday 14th February: Prologue, Valentine’s Day
Saturday 15th February: Opening of the Venetian Festival with a show, Cannaregio
Sunday 16th February: Boat pageant – Grand Canal – Cannaregio
Sunday 23rd February: Flight of the Angel
Saturday 1st March: Float parade, Marghera
Sunday 2nd March: Flight of the Eagle and Flight of the Donkey, Mestre
Monday 3rd March: Carnival Culture Night
Tuesday 4th March: Flight of the Lion, Silent Water Parade, the Great Fire
From 22nd February to 4th March: Best Masked Costume contest and musical evenings


As usual, I have questions and as usual who do you ask?

see www.browsingitaly.com/veneto/venice   for many answers that I found bellow

1.  Where do the design ideas for masks originate?  Mascherari, mask makers, craft the unusual 'face' ware from leather, porcelain or a glass technique.    As I visited a mask maker on one of the many side streets in Venice, I saw a coating resembling lacquer applied.  Finished samples were hand painted, with gold leaf, feathers or gems.  I am sure the artist had hundreds of 'touristi' visit and was too busy to chat.     The working shops are different that those that displayed finished masks.  on my next visit I shall ask Monica (my authority in Venice) to perhaps take me to the oldest workroom in Venice.

My theory that 'you can hide behind a mask' was supported by some additional history.    People of all stations in life could wear a mask and "pretend to be someone else".  Hmm  sounds like today's makeup.    Particular styles of masks were worn by different  occupations.  There is a fascinating list of mask designs and properties on Wikipedia, from the 'Plague doctor" to "Bauta" to Panalone and others.


2,  Shove Tuesday:    This is new to me, I have not heard of this before.     Shove Tuesday, an unusual event occurs, in Saint Marks Square, dating from the 1500's  an acrobat traveled on a rope from the bell tower in St Marks Square.  After an accident a live performer was replaced but a live performer has since returned.    What a dramatic site to witness.  Massive crowds in the square and a small figure in the distance is essentially zip lining.

 3.  The Balls:    Carnival was only re established in Venice in 1979!  In the 18th century the events began with a series of balls in St Marks Square.     Question:  who is invited to the private balls?  The public balls just require a ticket and a costume.

4.The costumes:  Who wouldn't want to dress in a lavish gown possibly with beads, fur trip or even feathers.  To parade around to be admired and even photographed by a mob of photographers.   The cost and time required to create an ensamble must be staggering.   I shall do another post on the oldest costume salon in Venice.      Question:  If you do not rent a costume, are creations used year after year?  Are they handed down to other attendees?   Just the cleaning and storing of these massive pieces must be staggering.

5.  The parades:  Gondola and boat parades along the grand canal, Mask parades in St Mark's Square are capped off by a grand fireworks display on the final day to end the carnival.    On Saturday and Sunday (this year) for the start of Carnival, the water parade will sail along the Grand Canal where I expect the crowds will line the waters edge and from all the buildings.

 Each year a theme is selected for the events during Carnivale.  From the carnevale.venezia.it official web site this year is:  fairy tales, marvels and fantastic natures.  Perhaps costume ideas will come from the woods, the valleys, the seas, the mountains, the lagoons and the mysterious animal and vegetable creatures............  leave a lot of possibilities from a hobbit to a giant carrot.

 6.  Food:   There will be a list of foods only made for carnival and the recipes complements of Monica.  Frittelle may top my list of favorites. 

I have asked for updates from Venice and shall share them with you for the next 2 weeks.


www.carnivalofvenice.com
Photos by Monica Casarato
Browsingitaly.com
Wikipedia:  Carnival of Venice
About Italy Travel:  where to Celebrate Carnevale in Italy


Take me to Carnevale!

The Secret Ingredient in Focaccia

Mamma Gulia:    she creates joy for your mouth with Mediterranean cooking.

Learn the secret ingredient she adds to Focaccia!

On my second visit of Lecce with Yle at Yltour.com  my return was treated as if I were a relative or a valued friend.  During the week I spent in Puglia, Yle introduced me to many of her favorite people, all who I would never have met without her introduction.  I want to share these wonderful encounters with you.

After our visit to Taurino's Olive farm  bit.ly/1g8dznj and learning to taste olive oil and viewing the operation of how to press olives, we took the short ride to the masseria.      This totally renovated farm complex may take your breath away!  From the miticulous garden to the pool or the room available in an old tower.   You shall immediately become entranced.

But we are here to meet Mamma Guilia, one of the outstanding cooks/instructors for Yltour.com