In the City of Masks
The Venetian carnival is first mentioned in documents from 1094, when its official status was confirmed by Doge Vitale Faliero. And in 1296, the Senate of the Venetian Republic declared the last day before Lent a holiday. However, balls and carnivals lasted much longer. They spilled out onto streets and squares, transforming city life beyond recognition. Venice put on an air of mystery, dressing up in masks and cloaks.
The center of carnival revelry was St. Mark's Square. In the Middle Ages, a rope was stretched over it, along which a prisoner was sent. The poor soul walked the rope, showering the crowd with rose petals. If he managed to reach the end, he gained freedom. Later, prisoners were replaced by acrobats, and later by a wooden dove from which flowers fell. The highlight of the celebration was a bullfight in St. Mark's.
Now the carnival in Venice lasts about two weeks. A few days before the opening, guests flock to the city, processions of orchestras and theaters move through the streets, their participants fool around, beat drums, set off firecrackers, shower spectators with streamers and confetti. Merchants lay out masks, cloaks, and caps on their stalls so that anyone can become a participant in the celebration.
On the opening day of the carnival, performances of commedia dell'arte take place in St. Mark's Square, then mountains of confetti rain down on the heads of the public, and thousands of balloons fly into the sky. Nobody knows what is supposed to happen next, so everyone does as they please.
Gradually the carnival gains momentum: concerts and theatrical performances go on in the squares, fireworks thunder, hundreds of musicians, street acrobats, jugglers, and organ grinders appear from somewhere, music and wine flow like a river, balls are held in palaces, everywhere doges and Moors, Colombinas and princesses dance. The refined masked public gathers at the café «Florian».
This year the Venetian carnival will take place from January 25 to February 5.
The carnival "Puppet Passions" in the Tuscan town of Viareggio (January 20 - February 13) has been known since 1873. It is one of the most joyful celebrations. Its participants are huge papier-mâché puppets depicting various people from the planet, including famous politicians. Decorated platforms move along Corso Mascherato, on which people and funny puppets dance. This year the carnival will be dedicated to Peace, Love and Solidarity.
The "Orange Battles" (February 2-5) in the ancient town of Ivrea in Piedmont is called a historical carnival; it recreates the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. The carnival is famous for its grand three-day battle of oranges. Carts with costumed "lord's soldiers" ride through the streets; they are pelted with oranges by the defenders of the miller's daughter, who rebelled against the right of the first night. Orange fights take place on all the streets of the city, and only in the squares are there safe zones for observers.
The "Longest Carnival" in Putignano is one of the oldest in Europe. It begins on December 26, right after Christmas. And it lasts until Fat Tuesday. Such an early start is a historical tradition. On December 26, 1394, the transfer of the relics of Saint Stephen from Monopoli to Putignano took place, accompanied by folk festivities.
Battle of Flowers
The carnival in Nice has a long history. The first mention of it dates back to 1294: it was then that the Count of Provence, Charles of Anjou, wrote that he had spent joyful days of carnival in Nice. Until the 18th century, the fun was limited to street masquerades; in 1830, the first carnival characters paraded through the streets of Nice in honor of Charles-Philippe and Marie-Christine, the royal couple of Piedmont and Sardinia. In 1872, when Nice had already become French, the city municipality took charge of organizing carnival processions. And since 1876, the Flower Parade, more often called the Battle of Flowers, has been an integral part of the celebration. The flower battles were specially invented to glorify the perfumers of the Côte d'Azur and Provençal flower gardeners.
The Battle of Flowers is the most stunning part of the celebration: dozens of carts decorated with fresh flowers travel along the Promenade des Anglais. To decorate a cart that is 7 m long, 2 m wide, and 6 m high, it is necessary to order bouquets of at least 4-5 thousand flowers! Unsurprisingly, each such cart is a true work of art. On the flower platforms dance the most beautiful models of the Côte d'Azur, dressed in outfits with rhinestones and feathers. They throw bouquets of violets, mimosa, and carnations to the spectators - up to 100 thousand bouquets fly into the crowd!
This February, Nice expects about 1.2 million guests. They will see carnival processions with puppets and flower parades, become participants in high-society parties and a variety of entertainments, spectators of rock concerts and techno music, and colorful night fireworks.
The center of the celebration in Nice becomes the Promenade des Anglais and Place Massena. During the carnival days, stands for spectators rise on the promenade, and on the square, houses are covered in plywood, painted and decorated with 150 thousand multicolored light bulbs. Fiery wheels spin in the dark sky, flowers and infernal monsters appear.
Each carnival has its own theme, which gives it the name of the King of the Carnival. This year it will be «The King of Bats, Cats, Rats, and Various Legendary Creatures». The rat got into the king's title not by chance: it reminds us that according to the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Rat begins in February. This February, Nice will host the 124th carnival. Its main characters will be giant papier-mâché puppets weighing up to two tons and towering 12 m above the carts. The puppets will depict animals and political figures.
This year the carnival in Nice takes place from February 16 to March 2.
On the eve of Fat Tuesday in the suburb of Nice, the lovely town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, they hold a short but incredibly beautiful carnival – "Sea Battle" (February 4). Spectators gather on the quays of the Port of Santé awaiting three cannon salvos that open the sea battle. Boats decorated with flowers participate. For decoration and "battle" they use 40,000 flowers: sunflowers, gerberas, gladioli, lilies, mimosa branches, tulips, roses, and carnations. They use 2,500 bouquets!
Charming Menton is another adornment of the Côte d'Azur. This lovely town is famous for its gardens and parks. Thanks to the Maritime Alps, there is a special microclimate here, and citrus fruits grow beautifully around Menton, for which it is called the Lemon Capital of the Riviera. And the carnival of Menton is called the "Lemon Festival" (February 16 - March 5). The center of the celebration becomes the illuminated Gardens of Beauvais. In the evening they turn into gardens of lights, and on the main festival days there are light and music shows.
Witches and Clowns
In Germany, the carnival season lasts four months. The capitals of the celebration are considered Cologne, Bonn, Mainz, Düsseldorf, and Munich. The tradition of celebrating Fastnacht is very ancient. The festivities begin on November 11 at 11:11, and reach their climax before Lent. The last carnival week is the most vibrant. On Women's Carnival Thursday, also at 11:11, women in costumes of witches and jesters storm the local town halls and establish a matriarchy in the cities until the next day's night. The following Saturday there is a procession of spirits and ghosts. Colorful tents and pavilions are set up in the squares, where the "disembodied creatures" after marching through the streets and playful battles replenish their strength with traditional pea soup and watch performances of everyone who has something to show.
The Sunday carnival is especially popular: children dressed in the most fantastic costumes participate. Then comes Rose Monday, and hundreds of jester processions take to the streets. The last day of fun is Violet Tuesday. On this day, a straw figurine (Nubbel) is burned, which had been hanging on the doors of houses and pubs for all four months. First, jesters with weeping and lamentations remove these figurines from the doors, say goodbye to them, "carnival monks" hold a funeral service in the presence of spectators, and after midnight they are solemnly burned in the square.
Carnivals in Germany continue until February 5. Rose Monday is February 4.
The carnival in Düsseldorf is one of the main festivals in Germany. Especially lively in the city is Rose Monday (Rosenmontag). On this day, columns of dressed-up and painted clowns move through the entire city. Last year, about a million residents and tourists came out to the carnival procession route stretching 7.5 km. The parade featured over 8,000 masked participants, 1,500 musicians, 75 walking groups, 68 carts, 220 horses, as well as numerous cars and trailers from which 20 tons of caramel were thrown into the crowd.
In Munich, the carnival turns into a month of balls. In the capital of Bavaria, this season is called Munich Fasching. Hundreds of balls resound - from the classic evening gown ball Scnwarz-Weil-Ball to the multicolored masquerade ball. The street festival "Crazy Munich" with music, dancing, and a costume procession takes place in the pedestrian zone. Don't forget to bring a mask and don't miss the key moment of the carnival - the Dance of the Market Women at the Food Market. It can be seen on February 5, Fat Tuesday, at 11 a.m.
Burial of the Sardine
The most interesting Spanish carnivals can be seen on the Canary Islands. Here the scale of the celebration is comparable only to the carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
There are four main carnivals. One of them takes place in the capital of Gran Canaria, Las Palmas. The islanders throw a wild party following the example of Rio de Janeiro, elect the Carnival Queen, the Best Grandmother, the Best Granddaughter, the Best Man Dressed as a Woman, and also the Most Beautiful Dog in a Masquerade Costume.
Dances, music group competitions, and parties continue day and night. And the carnival ends with a funny and original event - the Burial of the Sardine. The funeral begins with a large carnival procession with floats carrying masked participants, dolls, orchestras, and dance groups. Mourners dressed in black (mostly men) also ride. The floats move through the entire city and stop at the beach. From the "hearse" they bring out a coffin with a large doll fish, which is mysteriously burned right in the sea. The fire from the funeral pyre awakens other fires, and a grand fireworks display begins.
This year, the theme of the Gran Canaria carnival is Olympus, so Don Carnal will appear in a tunic accompanied by muses, followed by heroes and Olympic gods.
On the neighboring island of La Palma, the carnival takes place in the colonial city of Santa Cruz, and locals dress up as American Indians. Their costumes and decorations use 5,000 kg of talc!
On Tenerife, there are two carnival centers: the capital Santa Cruz and the city of Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island. This year, Tenerife residents plan to celebrate from January 14 to February 10, but processions will only take place on weekends. The Burial of the Sardine will take place on February 6.
On Gran Canaria, the main events will take place on January 18 (opening), January 25 (election of the Carnival Queen), February 1 and 5. The Burial of the Sardine is on February 9.
Oh, magical Rio!
The famous Brazilian carnival was brought to Rio by Portuguese immigrants from the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde. It first took place in 1723 – at that time it was a merry festival called 'Entrudo'. People took to the streets with baskets full of water balloons, flour, and even dirt. They threw these projectiles at each other, and then everyone danced together. From 1840, Rio's aristocrats began holding Shrovetide balls where they danced polkas and waltzes. In 1855, they organized the first street parade – with a military band and columns of horsemen. Later, another type of street procession emerged – the 'Cordo'. Its participants were men, and they danced to African and Brazilian music. The 'Rancho' groups included Africans, both men and women. 100 years ago, a great Brazilian revolution occurred: samba came to the carnival. From that time began the history of the most grandiose carnival spectacle in the world.
Every year at the height of the sweltering Brazilian summer, Rio de Janeiro becomes the epicenter of unrestrained fun for four days and four nights. During the carnival, Brazilian cities choose the fattest men as Kings Momo. The king must weigh at least 140 kg! During the opening ceremony of the carnival, the mayor of Rio hands over the keys to the city to King Momo. The carnival processions go along Avenida Marquês de Sapucaí, where stands for 850,000 spectators are built. The procession of each samba school can take an hour and a half. Everything here is scripted like sheet music, everything is strictly regulated. If for hundreds of thousands of Brazilians the carnival in Rio is entertainment, then for samba dancers it is the main event of the year. The parade of samba schools becomes the culmination of the carnival.
The carnival marathon requires remarkable endurance. The costumes of those marching in the pedestrian column weigh from 10 to 15 kg, and the outfits of male samba dancers on platforms sometimes reach 80 kg. Therefore, young people actively attend samba schools, gyms, bodybuilding, and sports grounds all year round.
The Rio carnival will take place from February 2 to 5.
Other carnivals on islands and in Europe
Caribbean marathon. The carnival on the island of Aruba, called the 'Caribbean Monte Carlo', lasts two months. Its features are music, dance, bright colors, folk art, joy of life, an interweaving of Caribbean and Dutch traditions. Parades are followed by parties and celebrations for the election of the King and Queen of the carnival; children's parades are held separately.
Creole festival. On Martinique, the dry season begins with carnival festivities. They take place in the island's capital, Fort-de-France, the center of Creole culture in the Caribbean, and are called the 'Creole Carnival'. Preparations for the carnival begin as early as New Year. Once they start celebrating, the island's residents cannot stop; they continue to party even after the start of Lent. Parades are followed by costumed processions to music and dance shows in the rhythms of calypso, salsa, reggae, and beguine – a dance invented on Martinique.
Maastricht: a Dutch-style party, February 3-5. The biggest carnival in the Netherlands takes place in the city of Maastricht. The show begins on Carnival Sunday with a brass band procession through the city streets. During the festival, stages are set up on the streets where bands perform live music and DJs spin records. Parties are held throughout the city. Bars are open all night, and people stroll the streets dancing and singing. The festivities end on Ash Wednesday. On that day, everyone stops singing and eats herring with bread.
February 3-5, in Belgium, in the small town of Binche in French-speaking Wallonia, one of the oldest carnivals in Europe takes place. Its ceremony has been preserved since the Middle Ages and is listed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. Binche is an hour's drive from Brussels, between Mons and Charleroi. The main carnival characters are the Gilles. They are very tall people dressed in striped yellow-red costumes with lions, wearing wooden clogs. The second main character of the festival is music. Throughout the carnival, drums thunder and ancient trumpets blast.
Luxembourg: the whole country is a stage! Once a year, from January 25 to February 2, this tiny European principality keeps up with sultry Brazil. The carnival in Luxembourg is called Fuesend, celebrated the entire week before Lent. And it is truly the most colorful spectacle of the year! The principality turns into a living illustration from a children's fairy tale book: ancient costumes splash color on the old streets.