It is only on my fifth trip to Venice in 2012 that I decided to go there during the Venice Carnival. I knew Venice quite well, but had never been to the Carnival. Of course, as millions of people come down on Venice for the Carnival, we organised the trip well in advance. At the last moment, it would have been impossible to find a room to sleep in. We were at a nice little hotel just off San Marco Square. So in the midst of the fun. But the weather reports were not encouraging, mentioning a spell of cold weather, rain and maybe even snow the week before we left. Luckily enough, when we were there, the cold spell had passed, there was a bright sunshine , and we could thus enjoy walking in the streets with all kind of masked people and costumes around us. It was fun.
When you go to Venice for the Carnival, you first start wondering what the Carnival really is and how it came into being ? It is said that the Carnival was started from a victory of the Repubblica della Serenissima (Venice's previous name), against the Patriarch of Aquileia in the year 1162. To celebrate this victory, the people started meeting and dancing in San Marco Square, and so the festival started. But it became official only in the Renaissance.
So why the masks ? It was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in Europe. A strict class system was forced on Venetians during the Renaissance period. First politicians started wearing masks since political decisions were hard to make if the identity of the politician was known. So they started concealing their identities when voting. This is how a type of mask known as the bautta came into being. The bautta is a mask that covers the whole face, has a stubborn chin and no mouth. The mask has a square jawline, often pointed, and tilted upwards to enable the wearer to talk, eat and drink easily without having to remove the mask, thus preserving his anonymity. In the 18th century, together with a black cape called tabarro, the bautta had become a society mask and disguise regulated by the Venetian government. It was obligatory to wear it at certain political decision-making events when all the citizens were required to act anonymously as peers. The aim was to guarantee the general, free, direct, equal and secret ballots existing in real democracies today.
 |
| MODERNİSED BAUTTA |
 |
| EVEN STATUES WEAR THE BAUTTA AND THE TABARRO |
As time passed , the idea of anonymity gained popularity among all classes; debtors hid from creditors, noblemen could indulge in excesses in ''houses of ill reputation'' or gambling parlours without risking their reputation, or could take part in conspiracies or attend romantic encounters without the risk of being recognised. Street performers could mock public figures without risking punishment. So more and more masks were worn, and mascherari, or mask makers, came to enjoy a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild. This reached such proportions, that by the 18th century, the wearing of masks in daily life was severely restricted, limited to only three months from December 26. With the Austrian conquest of Venice in 1798, mask-wearing was finished. Only celebration of the carnival was allowed but that was banned altogether by Mussolini in the 1930's. It is only in 1979 that a group of Venetian artisans came together to restart the Carnival and they were successful as about three million people travel to Venice every year for the occasion. It was also in the 1970's that the long-forgotten art of mask-making was resumed.
Some traditional masks such as the bautta are still worn today. One of those is the Dottore Peste mask which originated during the plagues of the 14th century. Due to the plague, finding doctors to attend the sick was not easy; there being no cure, many doctors would not go near a victim. Those who did, wore an elaborate costume to ward off the effects of the disease. Plague Doctors wore a doctor's hat, a mask with crystal eyes (to protect the wearer's eyes from the disease), and a long beak stuffed full of spices or herbs (to purify the air that the doctor breathed), a wooden stick or cane (to keep sick people from approaching too much), a pair of leather gloves, a long gown (waxed to catch the disease which was thought to transfer to clothes) and full length boots.
Masks and costumes were also inspired by Commedia dell'Arte which is a form of theatre, characterised by masked types, which began in Italy in the 16th century. The performers played on outside, temporary stages. Conventional plot lines were written on the topics of adultery, jealousy, love and old age. Song and dance were widely used. The characters of the Commedia represented fixed social types, such as Arlecchino, the mischievous servant , or Colombina, the personal maid to the primadonna.
There is not much left today of the historical tradition of the Venice Carnival. Lots of different costumes, some very modern, have appeared.
 |
| WELCOME THE SİMPSONS |
İS THİS A MARTİAN ?
 |
| WHO İS THİS ? |
COSTUMES AND GONDOLAS
TWO DİFFERENT BUT QUİTE SİMİLAR MARİE-ANTOINETTE
SHE HAS THREE FACES
SİLVER AND GOLD
THE DEVİL ?
ON THE STEPS OF SANTA MARİA DELLA SALUTE
ON THE GRAND CANAL
WİTH THE CAMPANİLE OF SAN MARCO
LOVERS UNDER THE PALACE OF THE DOGES
FRİENDS İN FRONT OF THE PONTE DEİ SOSPİRİ
THE BRİDGE OF SİGHS
LOVERS WİTH PONTE DEİ SOSPİRİ
THEY SHİNE UNDER THE SETTİNG SUN AND SO DOES SAN MARCO
THİS İS A MAN - I PASSED VERY NEAR AND LOOKED CAREFULLY.
WHY WOULD A MAN THİS AGE WANT TO PUT SO MUCH MAKE-UP ON , UNLESS........
SOME DREAM OF BİG BREASTS.
The highlight of the Carnival is the Flight of the Angel (a centuries old tradition) which sees a specifically chosen young lady fly down from the top of the Capanile over San Marco Square attached to a wire. And below, thousands watch in anticipation.
Looking at some of those costumes, I realised that in this age of Facebook and Instagram people do not wear costumes and masks to hide their identity. We are way past that. Today people wear costumes and masks to pretend, for a few days at least, to be what they are not but yearn to be. Men dress as women, wear high heals or put make-up on. Women who dream of having bid breasts satisfy their desire by wearing them even if only in plastic form. Others just feel as if they are royalty and soak in this luxury. They even start walking like kings and queens. Still others, simply enjoy what the Venice Carnival offers them. And some , just like me, walk the streets taking pictures and looking around at all this congregation of masked people. The Carnival in Venice takes you to different world than the Venice of gondolas, vaporettos, canals and small bridges. You see Venice under a totally different light. It is an experience to try.
No comments:
Post a Comment