Archivio tag: carnival

Venetian Modern masks

The modern celebration of the Carnival of Venice has reinvigorated the art and craft of making Venetian masks.Recognizable types of Venetian masks continue to dazzle tourists, and the participants during the Carnival.The homemade modern masks in Venice has begun nearly 25 years ago. You can find many laboratories with a wide choice of models.Like all other Venetian masks,the modern masks are authentic handcrafted masks for the Venezian ball. There are available different styles and colors , from the traditional Harlequin to Colombine ,unique colorful masks .Here you can find the perfect venetian modern masks for all your needs. By purchasing a Venetian mask today for your next fancy dress party is like to buy a nice piece of Venetian history for your home or office.

The collection of animal masks

provides you an authentic hand-made Venetian masks , with animal faces . These animal masks are perfect to wear in any masquerade ball , Mardi Gras carnival or other events . Beautifully decorated ,the collection of animal masks certainly a great piece ,that can be worn both as a mask for the next dance and a
wonderful work of art, rich in ornaments such as the walls of some Venetian palaces.

Venetian Masks for ball.

From the great Venezian ball of the fifteenth century to the present days there is nothing more fascinating than a Venetian masked ball . You will always find a wide selection of masks to disguise. Each masks are handcrafted in Venice, Italy and have a certificate of authenticity . There are different styles , colors and designs from you can choose so you can find the perfect mask for the masquerade ball or for the carnival.

From the Luxury line,

elegant and stunning Venetian masks made of gold, laser-cut metal , adorned with authentic Swarovski crystals. Handmade masks from paper mache , beautifully decorated with ” antique white ” , tarot cards form, black cat,drawings in black and white or antiqued with silver ornaments and artificial lights.All the masks are handmade and painted in Venice , Italy .All the masks are unicate,you can’t find two identical masks.

The masks are signed by the artist and include a certificate of authenticity on the inside . Wearing Venetian masks has spread in North and South America ,at Halloween, masquerade balls , carnivals and other events, but all these characters carried out the rich Italian history.

For those interested in buying a mask online can visit:
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Carnival, Venetian masks

Carnival Venetian Masks

The Venetian masks have a long history of protecting the identity of the wearer during promiscuous or decadent activities .Venetian masks are Made for centuries in Venice, these distinctive venezian masks were made from paper mache and decorated with fur, fabric , gems, or feathers.The symbol of Carnival in Venice, a street show and exhibition of fantastic characters . Masked, a servant could be confused with a nobleman,or vice versa. The Inquisitors of State and spies could question citizens without fear that their true identity could be discovered ( citizens could answer without fear of retaliation ) . The morale of the people was maintained through the use of masks, not faces, they all was “only voices”.The gambling continued throughout the day and night in the gambling houses,private homes, even in convents . The woman’s clothes was more striking ; the homosexuality , while was publicly condemned , was embraced by the normal people. Even the nuns and monks of the clergy, wore masks and dressed in disguise to hide their stories , like the majority of their fellow citizens .The following masks are some of the most used Venetian masks during the carnival,but also well known characters of the theatre of the comedy of the art

Venetian Carnival Masks:Pantalone

Famous Venetian mask was born around the middle of the sixteenth century.Pantalone is a typical merchant: old, rich and stingy, lustful, filthy, hostile to the young and always mocked. Sometimes is a dealer in Vienna. A little silly, lover of the beautiful women and the food , naive, full of temperament,is the butt of all the jokes, some of them very indecent, but forgive everything in the end. It is often presented as the parent of one of the lovers and has some business relationship with the Doctor or the Captain. http://dipoco.altervista.org/venice-carnival-masks/

His habitude is to wear a large codpiece to advertise his manhood (which everyone around him know that is gone) along with a mask with a long hooked nose, a red vest tight pants and red socks, a long black cloak that covers the red tights ,slippers and a hat without a brim.

It is one of the longest-lived of the Commedia dell’Arte masks. Born suddenly, with the birth of the comedy, passed almost unscathed through three centuries. The names Pantalone and Todero, according to some historians of the theater,have a similar derivation, in fact, to the saints San Pantaleon and San Teodoro ,the Venetians have paid a special devotion.

Carnival Masks :Pedrolino or Pierrot

The character was brought to France , where became part of the repertoire of French companies with the name of Pierrot ,thanks to Joseph Geratoni who introduced him, in 1673 , but the first Pierrot was the Italian one, derived from the characters of the “commedia dell’arte” , one of the first true Venetian mask -Zanni .http://dipoco.altervista.org/venezian-carnival-masks/

Pierrot is a stock figure in the Commedia dell’Arte .Pierrot is usually depicted as cute , charming and polite , to the point of excess , is blamed for bad things he never made and for his trusting nature is often deceived . The remarkable feature of Pierrot is his naivety, he is seen as a fool, always cheated and teased by the others.Despite his suspicions about things , Pierrot always end up trusting people and believing their lies. Pierrot is also seen as a person outside of reality, in a state of unawareness of what is happening around ,is one from who don’t count anything but cheering and playing all the time .
In the French version ,Pierrot lost the characteristics of cunning and duplicity , to become the sad mime in love with the Moon.

As character Pierrot wearing white clothes, which are sometimes too big for him, but more commonly and well-equipped with accessories, sometimes blacks,with a high and pointed, or small and tense hat.His face is sometimes whitened with white powder or flour.
Pierrot is very occasionally depicted with a tear on his face, and usually doesn’t wear a mask, the actor should generally have a wide range of facial expressions. This character is played at least from the begining of the 1600.

Carnival Masks :Scaramouche , Captain

Skirmish (Scaramouche ) literally means “small , fast melee ” giving the idea of a soldier who does not involve himself too much in the battle , but his way of fighting ,is, a little touch here, a short attack there. His affinity for intrigue often landed him in difficult situations, but he always managed to extricate themselves, usually involving an innocent victim at his place.
Scaramouche was originally a variant of “the Captain” another character of the comedy .
The Captain was a young man of adventure or rather an old sailor , boasting swashbuckling , dressed to kill , feathered hat , high boots , with a sword in his belt , often Spanish ,he was always a prime favorite. He had some amazing stories about how he beat a whole army of Turks and how he took away the beard of the Sultan, but when there was a hint of real danger was the first to escape. This character , of course, is none other than the glorious ” Miles of Plautus” , called in Italian Captain Fear Valley Inferno, or simply Fright (Spavento).More an women hunter that a soldier , a great friend of Pulcinella , always finds a way to reverse the consequences of his actions on someone else.The captain is sometimes depicted without a mask. When he use a mask, usually has the color of the skin with a large nose and a mustache that are, or straight and wiry or raised corners. Sometimes in older versions is shown wearing a pair of glasses, even if they are used to compensate for his lack of visibility,the Captain insist that he wore the glasses “to avoid that the brilliant and fierce gleam of his beautiful eyes will outshine the sun”. Usualy wear his military uniform, multi-colored and covered with shiny buttons, but often very worn.

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The Venezian Carnival masks

Venetian carnival masks are the representative objects in Venice, because it shows the spirit of Venice projected towards the transgression and fun. The carnival masks were worn in many occasions and for many months of the year. In the eighteenth century, Venice enjoyed the reputation of having the world’s most famous Carnival, where participated all social classes, and carnival mask representing the trick for the great magic of the collective meetings.The “comedia dell’arte” and carnival masks:

carnival masks -Columbine
A traditionally character in the historical theater “Commedia delll arte”, Colombina has become one of the most famous Venetian carnival masks .This mask is completely handmade ,from paper mache , a very light mask ,was perfect to wear , to the masquerade ball and on other carnival festivities.Born in Venice was unique female mask to penetrate in the midst of so many male characters .
As the character of the “commedia dell’arte” Columbine, the clever servant girl, very fond of her mistress, was cheerful and wise , crafty, lovely, lying, mischievous and pungent.She wore a cap of all the colors with some pretty curls comming out , a blue and white dress that stand out from the blue skirt and red stockings . Usualy has an apron with large pockets where she tuck love notes.She has also a blue bow on the buckle of the shoes.
On the scene, is often the wife or girlfriend of Harlequin , but she is often the subject of attention from the master Pantalone,or by his friends which provokes jealousy toHarlequin.

Masks for carnival – Jester ,or Jolly ,

is a specific form of clown well known in the Middle Ages. Starting from Italy , Jester moved across Europe , acting in the theater in Spain, Holland , Germany, Austria ,
England, and especially in France. Origins of the Jester is suppose to come from the west prehistoric tribal society . Pliny the Elder mentions a royal Jolly ( planus regius) recounting the Apelles’ visit to the royal palace palace of the Hellenistic King Ptolemy I. Jester was a symbolic twin of the king. All the clowns and fools in those days were regarded as special cases whom God had touched with a childlike madness, a gift, or perhaps a curse. People with intellectual disabilities sometimes find employment as behaving in a fun way , doing comical flips and jumps . In the harsh world of medieval Europe , people who may not be able to survive any other way found thus a social niche where they were protected.
Jesters wore typically brightly colored clothing in a motley pattern. Their hats were especially distinctive; made from rags,on the head, they were a floppy with three points, each of which had a bell at the end. The three points of the hat represent the donkey’s ears and the tail worn by earlier jesters . Other things distinctive about the jester were his incessant laughter and the mock scepter, known as a bauble or Marotte.Well known for his witty banter, or his fun personality, the mask Jester reminiscent of the eccentrics jokers who have kept the king and all his men in a cheerful mood,in the Middle Ages.
They were known in the Middle Ages, for their ability to really work with the crowd to “make people laugh” with the most fun tricks.
Carnival masks -Pulcinella

a classic character with the origins in the “Commedia dell’Arte” of the sixteen century . The face mask was black and white ,with a white coat , and his hair loose and disheveled . Comming from Campania ,Pulcinella, expressing the soul of the people of Naples has become a symbol mask in the theater. Its main feature which acquired its name , is his extremely long nose , which resembles with a beak.
Pulcinella name come from the latin word ” pullus gallinaceus” , which led to the word ” Pulliciniello ” and ” Pulcinella “, which means chick , to emphasize the comical tone as a hoarse cackle . Its traditional temperament is to be mean , vicious and cunning : the main mode of defense is to pretend to be too stupid to understand what’s going on , looking for gimmicks to escape the oppression of the powerful,or the greed of the rich men. His secondary mode is to physically beat the people . Is extremely entangled in the most minute problems of food, basic necessities that sharpen his wits and his imagination . Little desire to work and a lot of fun , it is always busy looking for solutions to accomplish this his goal. Like many others, characters is a servant in all the spectacles.

In the eighteenth century it was transformed into a puppet . In 1600 Pulcinella was “adopted” by the British under the name of Punch, the English variation of the Punch and Judy.

Carnival masks – Zanni,
A venetian word ,is a version of the name John ( also called Gianni,Zan , Zane , Zuane ) ,a very common name in the Lombardy,the Venetian countryside ,from where came most of the Lombard ancestors emigrated to Venice to work as servants,for the nobles and wealthy Venetian merchants .Zanni is the archetype of the comic servant characters of the Commedia dell’Arte . Opposed to the Magnificent ( the teacher, the old name of the Venetian mask of Pantalone ), the role of Zanni is very variable : silly , naive, and vulgar, doubling in the two types of smart and silly servant , Zanni was a character in its own right and who lived his own life . But once inside the city environment, Zanni becomes crafty , cunning , and bold .Strongly tied to the land , to the rural life , the symbol par excellence of the crude and vulgar character of the peasant,but often remains poor , constantly hungry . Zanni ‘s costume is a white coat and pants,a normally dress worn by peasants during the work in the fields , a particular hat off around the head , but especially with a long visor , a bit like that of goliards college a few decades ago. He wore a black mask that resembles his more popular descendant , Arlecchino .

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VENICE- Carnival, old festivals

The royal race “Regatta” of wheelbarrows

The first race with wheelbarrows,at the Venetian festivals, starts in 1751, when two scavengers (Cosimo and Gasparo) were swayed to compete in speed with their wheelbarrows for the winding and busy streets of Venezia.That liked so much to the people that it became a “race” with many competitors, between the rows of crowd. The awards which initially consisted of perhaps a jug of wine became more conspicuous and were also awarded the top finishers with typical colorful flags (coveted trophy of the true racing).

Without masks, simple clothes, hat like servants. The “regatta” with wheelbarrows was probably an ironic playful competition,for the lower classes, just for fun, and to attract the attention of the public.

Puppet shows
Puppet shows and storytelling have always been very popular all over Italy, especially in Venice , during the Carnival. You could admire the traditional Italian puppets ( burattini ) used in theater to represent humans, animals or mythological characters that were the hallmark of the Commedia dell’Arte also supported by Carlo Goldoni .

But this singular spectacle was also done to attract the crowds, to put them together , and to propose a ” special balm ” or ” elixir of life ” ,to the people who believe in these things. These are the ancestors of modern-day advertising .

Charlatans and mountebanks in St. Mark’s Square ,

At the puppet theater can be inserted into the broader landscape of street the entertainments like : jugglers , storytellers, acrobats, mimes, acrobats and animal trainers who always been the heart of the Carnival of Venezia .On San Marco square, all kinds of shows, magic tricks , music, blossomed during the Carnival period .There were many people who believed the impostors, who were able to pass as curators of the diseases, predict the future and to help the poors … but there was also the clown (which has its roots in the Commedia dell ‘Arte, in the late eighteenth century), an “ROMPIBALLE ” , a true professional of the guffaw, the farce, mockery, one who has the courage to use the’ only weapon at his disposal: the freedom.

People from all over the world, willingly participated at these the celebrations.

Eggs scented

Carnival has always been a way of flirting , getting together with a person from the other sex .It become a trend at that time , to woo women , through an strange game “the throwing eggs” filled with rose water .The merchants were selling different kinds of scented eggs , and the young masked men willing to show their appreciation for the ladies that they liked most, throwed these scented eggs in front of their homes. Of course,the joke could go wrong , so the eggs could be launched to the people, to the husbands of the ladies , or, to the ladies themselves. The “masks” of the lancers were also known as Mattaccino or Frombolatore ( matina= morning and frombola = fionda = the sling ) .

Card Games

The Venetians are well known for their love of the gambling . In a carnival scene (taken from ” Jealous Women” a comedy by Carlo Goldoni) . You can see a typical representation of the XVIII century at this kind of meeting , all the persons wearing a mask, most of them the typical “bauta” ,most of them engaged in a conversation ,playing cards , and continuing the eternal game of seduction .

Unfortunately most of these festivals have been lost because of the laws that changed Italy, due to the Napoleonic invasions at the end of 1700, laws who suspended the carnival itself in 1797.

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Venice – Carnival old feasts – Moresca ,Hercules Strength

carnival old feasts

Venice – Carnival old feasts – Moresca ,Hercules Strength .

At the time of the “Serenenissima Republic” Venice people was divided into two factions : Castellani and Nicolotti . The first , ( inhabitants of the area of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli , Santa Croce, San Polo and Dorsoduro ) with red cap and red scarf , representing the workers of the Arsenal , the second , ( people from the neighborhood of San Marco , part of Dorsoduro and Cannaregio, Lido , Castle districts) , with black scarf and black hat, most of them fishermen. The competition between the two venetian fractions, during the carnival , as in other ocasions, became a nornal thing .

The Strength of Hercules …the human pyramids , in which were challenged the performances by the two rival factions of the Venetian districts the Castellani and Nicolotti .They exercised many years in dexterity, agility and balance .

Accompanied by music, they performed not only in San Marco square, but also in the Big Channel upon the rafts placed on the boats .An planking was placed on the barrels ( if the game was played on land ) or on two boats , (but was reaching the enabling of built pyramids on the basis of two gondola irons) ; on this unstable basis , the athletes had to form human pyramids who sometimes reached eight storey. At the base was formed by 10/12 men called “saorna”, ballast that support the second group with axles or by holding up the weight of the companions directly on their body, while on the top climbed a child called “cimiereto”. Arrived on, this was performing somersaults and back flips.

There were numerous variations allowed, so as to give variations to the original form, among the most famous are: “The Colossus of Rhodes”, “The Case of Mohammed,” “Bella Venezia”, “The Union”, “the Verginella “” Glory, “” Fame, “” the Lion “,” the Three bridges “,” The Caffaro “” the Duck, “” the Carega Imperial “,” el Gran Mogol “etc..

The Moorish dance (la moresca)

The origins of that dance are uncertain: Some historians said that it has very ancient origins and is linked to farmers archaic rituals , such as propitiation of the good harvest represented by the fight against the malignant spirits .

During the carnival of Venice, after the Strength of Hercules , the Nicolotti and Castellani teams was exhibited the Moorish dance, a kind of collective fencing to the rhythm of the dance, ” fought ” with blunt swords called ” mele corte”. The performance started slowly in low musical rhythm and then sped up on the movements of the arms , ending in a kind of fury. It was an collective dance with pantomimic elements formed by two opposing armies, with swords, mimicking a fight at martial rhythm of one or more drums . One of the two groups of dancers blackening the face and all wore bells on their wrists and ankles to simulate the noise of the guns.

According to others, the origin of this dance would be tied to the Crusades as it would simulate the struggle between Christians and Moors . Finally, other scholars believe that it was introduced in Europe as a result of Spanish contamination and spread especially in the period between the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. These great feasts were held in the eighteenth century , when Carnival started on the first Sunday of October. On the last years this important event has lost much of the spirit of spontaneity that made it famous in the world. Nowadays the celebrations last about two weeks. In St. Mark’s Square and “in the camps” are organized pageants, concerts, shows and fireworks.

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Venice festivals – Shrove Thursday

Venice-Shrove Thursday

At the begining of each Carnival is set the date for the start of the official celebrations.( Shrove Thursday )

That begins on the first Saturday before Shrove Thursday and ends at Shrove Tuesday for a total of only eleven days.During the Carnival the business and affairs of the Venetians passed into the background, and they conceded every day of their time to the festivities, jokes, entertainment and events that were set up throughout the city, especially in Piazza San Marco ,along the Riva degli Schiavoni, in all the major “fields” of Venice.

Ancient,…and strange …origin of the festival celebrate a major victory of the Venetian Republic against the Patriarch of Udine , Ulrich,(or Volrico or Vodolrico, which was nominated by Frederick Barbarossa in 1161)
All starts in 1026 when Conrad II Emperor of the West, forced Pope John XIX to a new
synod of bishops to confirm the supremacy of Popone, the Cardinal of Aquileia against the patriarchy of Grade city ,a region, where Venice and Bisanzio had many interests .On 1028 the same Emperor gives to the Patriarch of Aquileia,Popone,a part of Friuli region.

In 1162 Ulrich,an other patriarch of Aquileia with some feudal vassals (to renew the exploits of his ancestor), taking advantage of the ongoing war between Venice and the city of Padua and Ferrara, aided by the feudal lords of Carinthia and Friuli, attacked the town of Grado, forcing the patriarch Enrico Dandolo to take refuge in Venezia.The patriarch Dandolo with military aid from the Doge Vitale Michieli II defeats the enemy, regaining the city, and captures the Ulrich with twelve of his canonicals, and leads them ,in triumph, to Venice.

To break free from the prison they had to promise to pay an annual tribute to the Venetians:twelve loaves of bread, twelve pigs and a bull . The animals were then greeted as prisoners in the Ducal Palace. From that day, the ” Shrove Thursday “, the anniversary of the victory , the pigs and the bull who came to Venice were sentenced to death by beheading in a real process and the judgment was publicly performed in St. Mark’s Square . The meat of the “criminals” were then distributed among the senators of the Republic, while the loaves were distributed in the prisons.

This honor was given to the guild of blacksmiths , assisted by that of the butchers ( Becheri ) ,who slaughtered the pigs and offered the meat to all the Venetian people.

The Venetian said :” To cut the bull’s head ” (which means getting rid of the obstacles, ending up problem in a definitive way), because with the cut of the bull’s head was placed the end of the show ,comes from here .

The intention of the Doge , was to perpetuate the memory of the victorious warlike deeds ,as well as a warning to the enemies , to inspire the pride of the Venetian force to the future generations; because it was clear that the obligation of the offer was not intended to Grado city but to Venice

The Doge and the main representatives of the State , were protagonists of another singular ceremony : in a hall of the ducal palace were put on,the little wood models of castles in change of the originals of the feudal lords of Ulrich ,and armed with maces enjoyed smashing everything … an eternal reminder of the victory inflicted to Friuli
region.

This story, however, has a bad impact to the people of Udine, in the Shrove Thursday of the year 1511 and was called:
Cruel Shrove Tuesday.

The Venetian government had never considered Friuli region at the same rank as the other domains but had interest to keep its dominance to keep as far as they can from Venice the Turkish and the (holy Roman) imperial army .
This attitude is also reflected in the policy characterized by the lack of measures to improve the condition of the population ( mainly rural ) on the social and economic development. The nobility , deprived of its ancient power by the government of Venice , tried to maintain his social status by exploiting the few remaining rights and the services owed by farmers bringing to exasperation the feudal relations between subordinate ( farmer ) – sir (noble ) .Because of that the farmers gathered in ( a kind of party) of Zamberlani (çambarlans); the nobles also formed the party called the STRUMIERI

The day of ” Shrove Thursday “( February 27, 1511 ) Antonio Savorgnan , (the general commandant of the “cernide”,the armed militias of farmers who were called up in the case of war) staged an “Imperial” attack against Udine (actually ” the imperial army” was soldiers commanded by Alvise da Porto , his nephew ) . In the midst of the chaos created by the failure of the attack, the Savorgnans capitans stirred up the armed population , to the looting of the dwellings of the cities (lands of the noble family called “della Torre” )
which followed in the wake of lust booty, those of all the nobility of Udine (except for the palace of the Savorgnans,the true head of the revolt ) .
Meanwhile, in the wake of the violence spread like wildfire to the territories of Udine and
slowly throughout all the region. The villagers , mostly farmers , armed as to go into battle besieged the nearby castles inhabited by the nobility .
The Venetian government set up a special tribunal that condemned to death the major leaders of the revolt ,without hitting the real architect , Antonio Savorgnans .
Revenge , however, is not long late because “the strumieri” organized a conspiracy to murder him.That occurred on March 27, 1512 at the exit of the cathedral of Villach ,being killed by two Udinese nobles.

The tradition of the bulls and pigs continued until 1420 (the end of the temporal power of the patriarchs of Aquileia,when the Friuli region came under the domination of Venice), but despite the fact that the tribute was no more paid, the state continued to provide pigs and bulls for popular fun with the money from the Republic’s Treasury .That “playful tribute” gives rise to the much curious folk festivals.After the execution of the animals the celebrations followed which the “forces of Hercules”, stunts such as ” the turkish fly” and
dances such as the “Moorish” (warrior dance),the theme of the future articles.

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Archivio tag: carnival

Venetian Modern masks

Carnival, Venetian masks

The Venezian Carnival masks

VENICE- Carnival, old festivals

CARNIVAL OF VENICE 2014 – OFFICIAL WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.CARNEVALE.VENEZIA.IT/?SLANG=EN

Venice – Carnival old feasts – Moresca ,Hercules Strength

CARNIVAL OF VENICE – official website http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/?slang=en

Venice festivals – Shrove Thursday