| A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale! |
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Anything Goes During Carnival Time in Italy
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"Come mascherarsi? Domani è Giovedì Grasso! Ecco cosa fanno a Roma..."
ANNAHOST
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Lent. Maybe no wine or tasty Italian desserts. No speaking dirty words. Abstinence from traditional pleasures. How do Italians prepare for 40 days of self-inflicted deprivation? Throw a party that lasts for weeks! From the Epiphany on January 6 to the beginning of Quaresima (Lent—derived from the Latin term Quadragesima, or "the forty days"), il Carnevale is traditionally a time dedicated to parades and masquerade balls, to entertainment, music, and revelry.
Carnevale Not Carnivores
The word Carnevale comes from the term carne levare since eating meat was restricted as a penance while preparing for Easter. The celebration itself has roots in ancient pagan celebrations such as Saturnalia and Lupercalia.
For centuries there have been parades, dances, and masquerade balls in Italy to mark the occasion. One of the oldest extant documents regarding the use of masks in Venice dates to May 2, 1268, when the citizens where banned from playing a certain game while wearing masks. Nowadays children pelt each other with coriandoli (confetti) and spray silly string, adults attend lavish costume balls, and towns such as Viareggio have a series of parades with spectacular papier–mâché floats. Mischief and pranks are part of the festivites, which is the reason behind the phrase A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale—Anything goes at Carnival.
Dolci Tradizioni
Like many other Italian celebrations, special foods are prepared for Carnevale. The dolci tradizionali di Carnevale include castagnole, causone napoletano, cenci, chiacchiere, cicerchiata, struffoli, and zeppole. Cicerchiata are a specialty typical of Central Italy (Abruzzo, Umbria, Marche, Lazio), while struffoli are part of the Carnevale celebration in Southern Italy.
Regional Celebrations
Carnevale di Viareggio: World-famous parades held on four consecutive weekends prior to Lent. The carri allegorici (allegorical floats) feature politicians, artists and athletes.
Storico Carnevale di Ivrea: Famous for the "battle of the oranges" when spectators pelt each other with the fruit.
Carnevale Venezia: Masked partygoers are what make the Venice Carnival one of the most romantic and traditional of Europe's big festivals.
Italian Vocabulary List: Carnevale
- il Carnevalino — First Sunday in Lent, celebrated in certain regions as a continuation of Carnevale
- il Carnevalone — The four days prior to the First Sunday in Lent, celebrated as a continuation of Carnevale in Milan
- il carro — float
- la cartapesta — papier–mâché
- le Ceneri — ashes (Ash Wednesday)
- i coriandoli — confetti (colored paper disks) thrown during parades
- Martedì Grasso — Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday
- la maschera — mask
- la Quaresima — Lent
- la sfilata — parade
