Caleb and I and some friends headed down to Venice for the last day of Carnevale. Above are pictures from that day. Below is an explanation of what Carnevale is all about.....
The word Carnevale derives from the latin expression “carnem levare” which means to take the meat away and it refers to the last day of this festivity when the meat was removed from all the tables in order to start the Lenten penitence. Carnevale takes us back to the Middle Ages, when the meat (carne) was a precious food eaten only by rich people and its presence on the tables was a reason for celebration. When we talk about Carnevale, we think about the use of masks. But where do these masks come from? In the past, masks were generally used by actors on the stage. In ancient Greek and Roman theaters the mask was introduced to describe the personality of the character; this was particularly true in the Commedia Dell’Arte, a theatrical and cultural event which took place in Italy during the 1600’s. All the characters of the Commedia Dell’Arte wore masks representing qualities and defects of the human nature.
