The Carnival in Venice is said to be originated from an
important victory of the "Repubblica della Serenissima"
(how it was called the town of VENEZIA in those times), in
the war against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia, in the year
1162. To celebrate this victory, dances and reunions started
to take place in SAN MARCO SQUARE.
We should not forget that at the time Venice was a rather
powerful small republic, center of much traveling inside
Italy and on the road to China.
At the beginning, this celebration started the day after
Christmas and went on like that for several centuries , until
the 17th century .
As regards the use of masks, the oldest document dates
back to 2nd May 1268. From the early 14th century
onwards, new laws started to be promulgated, with the aim
of stopping the moral decline of the Venetian people of the
day.This restrictive carnival legislation started with a decree
prohibiting masquerades from going around the city at
night. In 1608, to avoid the terrible consequences of the
immoral behaviour deriving from wearing masks throughout
the year, every citizen, nobleman and foreigner alike, was
obliged to only wear a mask during the days of carnival and
at official banquets.The penalities inflicted for breaking this
law were heavy.
After the fall of the Republic, the Austrian government
forbade the use of masks for both private and elite parties
Si dice che il Carnevale veneziano
derivi le proprie origini da un’importante
vittoria della Serenissima contro Ulrico,
celebrata, all’epoca, con riunioni e
danze in Piazza S.Marco.
Agli inizi,il Carnevale cominciava il
giorno dopo il Natale e questa usanza
continuò fino al 17° secolo. L’uso delle
maschere risale alla seconda metà del
1600 ; i Veneziani portavano la
maschera durante tutto l’anno e spesso
se ne servivano per commettere atti
immorali o contro la legge .Per questa
ragione, dal 1608 fu consentito l’uso
della maschera soltanto durante il
periodo del Carnevale.
Alcune delle maschere
che vediamo oggi in giro
per Venezia sono le
famose e tipiche
tradizionali maschere
Some of the masks we see walking
around in Venice streets are the
typical, famous masks that lived
through centuries in the fantasy and
tradition of the Carnival of Venice.
Other masks did not become so
famous, or weren't used for
impersonations by the Commedia
dell'Arte, but still are fascinating and
alive in art and memories.
The Bauta is considered the
traditional Venetian mask, the one
mostly used to cover your features,
made in a way that it is still possible to
eat and drink without having to take it
off.
The Bauta is always white, and it is
not only a Carnival mask, in the sense
in those times ,it could also be used all
year long, to protect one's identity.
In a way, the Bauta was some kind of
leveler. All ages, all social status could
get together, all of them wearing a
mask and concealing their true
identity.
La Bautta è considerata la
maschera tradizionale veneziana,
fatta in un modo che renda
possibile mangiare e bere senza
essere tolta ; è sempre bianca e
non è soltanto una maschera
carnevalesca poiché, all’epoca,
veniva usata tutto l’anno,
soprattutto quando si voleva
nascondere la propria identità.
THE FACE
The "Volto" was the
more common mask
used in Venice for
centuries.
Volto means "face" to
design that is was the
most common,
simplest mask.
Also called "Larva",
with the possible
meaning of "ghost",
as it gives an unreal
appearance to the
people wearing it, just
imagine ... at night,
under a full moon ... in
those narrow streets ...
IL VOLTO
Il “ volto” è stata la
maschera più usata a
Venezia per secoli
Chiamata anche
“Larva”, con il
possibile significato di
“fantasma”..
PLAGUE DOCTOR
MASK
The "Plague Doctor"
may be considered a
mask
nowadays, but , at
the time, it was a sad
reality.
The mask with the
long beak is made to
keep in it substances
and aromas that
would have
protected the doctor
from getting
contaminated from
the plague.
IL MEDICO
DELLA PESTE
Considerata
oggi una
maschera, un
tempo era
una trista
realtà. Si
diceva che il
lungo becco
contenesse
sostanze ed
aromi che
avrebbero
protetto il
medico dalla
peste.
MORETTA
Mysterious and
intriguing , this is the
reason of the great
success of this mask,
the so called “Moretta”
(meaning "Dark",
because of its color) ,
which was used by
women only.
Misteriosa ed
intrigante:
questa la
ragione del
grande
successo della
“Moretta”,
maschera
usata soltanto
dalle donne.
GNAGA
Carnival is also
transvestitism,
appearing in different
clothes, different
personality. No
exception in Venice.
Men in women's
clothing, usually. At
times , the Gnagas were
going around the city
carrying with them
young babies, or
accompanying with
other men dressed as
infants, to make the
tease even more
exaggerated.
Carnevale è anche
travestirsi , apparire
sotto abiti diversi,
diversa personalità.
Venezia non faceva
eccezione .: gli
uomini si
travestivano da
donna. Se ne
andavano in giro
portando con sé
bambini piccoli, o in
compagnia di altri
uomini vestiti come
fanciulli, per rendere
il travestimento
ancora più
esagerato.
HARLEQUIN
Who does not know this mask ?
Harlequin, a poor character, wearing
a colorful patched costume, the
patches probably remnants of richer
costumes.
From a primitive naïve and simple
character, he evolves into a smart,
more sophisticated one, that with his
simplicity outwits all the arrogant and
greedy personages with whom he
interacts.
Anarchic kind of behavior, always
hungry and with no money, in
modern times he could have been a
hippie.
The evolution of the character
(1572) went on until the 18th century,
when it became too sophisticated, no
more wit, the hunger and fantasy
gone
ARLECCHINO
Chi non lo conosce ?
Arlecchino , un
personaggio povero,
che indossa un
costume colorato a
pezze, probabilmente
gli avanzi di un
costume più
ricco.Sempre
affamato, senza soldi,
questo personaggio si
è evoluto dal 1572
fino al 18° secolo,
quando è divenuto
troppo sofisticato e
senza l’arguzia di un
tempo.
PANTALOON
We see here the mask of
Pantaloon ( Panatalone ), The
Venetian merchant, rich,
greedy and naïve. From
merchant to nobleman, always
having to deal with people
trying to take his gold from
him, always losing against wit
and improvisation, at times
even pleasant for the trust he
feels for the others, that on the
other hand don't care for
anything different than his
money.
Old but athletic, Pantaloon
plays the ideal counterpart of
an Harlequin always without
money
PANTALONE
Pantalone, il ricco
mercante
veneziano, che
sempre ha a che
fare con gente che
cerca di ottenere
il suo denaro ;
vecchio ma
atletico,
rappresenta la
controparte ideale
di Arlecchino che,
al contrario di lui,
è sempre senza
denaro.
Colombina debutta col suo nome soltanto alla fine
del 17° secolo come soubrette della Commedia
dell’Arte.
Colombina è l’esatto contrario dell’Innamorata :
libera, insolente, non succube dei legami amorosi,
talvolta brillante, chiacchierona , pettegola. Una
specie di Arlecchino in abiti femminili , di solito è
proprio la compagna di Arlecchino e l’unica donna
ad indossare la maschera sul palcoscenico.
COLOMBINA
Colombina debuts with this name only by the end of 17th century as the Soubrette of the
Commedia dell'Arte .
Colombina is what the Innamorata is not: free, insolent, not slave of love bonds, sometimes brilliant,
vane always, chatterer, gossiper, always prone to intrigue at somebody else's expenses. A sort of
Harlequin in female clothes, and in fact she comes up in certain setups as Harlequina
(Arlecchinetta), with a patched costume duplicate of Harlequin's.
She is usually Harlequin's companion, and only woman to sometimes wear a mask on stage,
Colombina brings that female pepper and intransigence to the plot.
Carlo Goldoni often uses the Colombina character in his plays.
THE CARNIVAL
TRADITIONS
The carnival traditions were a lot, we’ll
illustrate the most original ones:
As strange as it may appear, bull chasing
(Pamplona style, if you know what we
mean) was very popular in Venice, during
Carnival time (17th century, until the
beginning of the 19th century). Thinking of
it, in those narrow streets, and with the
channels, it must have been really wild.
Bull chasing was usually admitted from
the first day until the last Sunday of
Carnival. The chasing started (each day in
a different section of the town) every day
of the week except Friday, right after
lunch.
The final feast (bull for dinner, we guess)
was every night from 10 PM until
midnight.
LE TRADIZIONI
DEL CARNEVALE
Antiche tradizioni del
Carnevale :
La Caccia al toro era
molto popolare a
Venezia durante il
periodo del Carnevale (
nel 17° secolo fino al
19°). Aveva inizio dal
primo giorno di
Carnevale e si protraeva
fino all’ultima domenica.
Ogni giorno iniziava in
un punto diverso della
città , tutti i giorni ad
eccezione del Venerdi.
Alla sera si festeggiava .
THE MASKS STRIP
This was every year the official start for the
Carnival of Venice.
By law everybody was allowed to wear a
mask, and so the population of Venice in
mass, well dressed, the face well hidden by
an elegant mask, took the traditional
showoff walk in Campo Santo Stefano.
"Liston" means in Venetian dialect "path",
"stripe". It is a way of describing that strip of
the city where everybody was, the cool
world go. The traditional Liston later moved
towards San Marco square, due to space
reasons (Campo Santo Stefano is relatively
small). This was the special day when
everybody was showing off all their
richness, silk, gold and precious stones.
And after the walk (back and forth
downtown) the hype was going to a special
restaurant, or to the Theater.
LISTON DELLE
MASCHERE
Era ,ogni anno, l’inizio
ufficiale del Carnevale di
Venezia. Per legge , tutti
potevano indossare la
maschera e così, la
popolazione se ne usciva in
massa, ben vestita, il volto
coperto da un’elegante
maschera, e si mostrava a
passeggio per Campo
S.Stefano. Più tardi il
“LISTON” si trasferì in Piazza
S.Marco per ragioni di
spazio.Era un giorno
speciale, ognuno ostentava la
propria ricchezza, e , dopo la
passeggiata su e giù per la
piazza, si andava al ristorante
o a teatro.
SHROVE THURSDAY
The Shrove Thursday
celebration is closely related
to the history of the
Serenissima Republic of
Venice, consequently to the
victory over Ulrico, Patriarch
of Aquileia.
After the defeat, Ulrico had to
pay the Venetians one bull
and 12 pigs, as war
reimbursement.
So, from that moment on, the
tradition was established of
"executing" every year that
same amount of animals in
San Marco square, and all
the population participated to
the feast, banquet, dances,
acrobats.
Carnival was officially born.
GIOVEDI’ GRASSO
La celebrazione del
Giovedì Grasso risale
alla vittoria della
Serenissima su Ulrico ;
dopo la sconfitta, Ulrico
dovette offrire ai
Veneziani un toro e
dodici maiali come
risarcimento. Così, da
quel momento , la
tradizione volle che
ogni anno venissero
uccisi lo stesso numero
di animali nella Piazza
S.Marco .: tutta la
popolazione
partecipava alla festa ,
al banchetto,alle danze
, alle acrobazie.
Il Carnevale era
ufficialmente nato!
PROF. FAVARON ARVINO
PROF. FURLAN PAOLA
SERENA NICOLO’
CACCIOLA MARCO