What Is The Carnival Of Venice?

Festival Background

In Venice, there is a long-standing custom known as the Carnival. It starts on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and lasts for two weeks before the start of Lent.

The event was first held to commemorate Serenissima Repubblicatriumph’s against Ulrico di Treven, the Patriarch of Aquileia. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it became a public holiday. The event was forbidden by the Austrian king in 1797, although it was reinstated.




However, Italy didn’t officially recognize the Carnival of Venice as a public holiday until 1926. The event is well-known nowadays and brings more than three million visitors annually to Venice. In reality, the Carnival of Venice is a major event in Venice every year.

Festival Objectives

The festival’s goal is to make merry and have a good time. Additionally, it promotes positive connections between people and the larger society.

People participate in events including masquerade balls, candle-lit boat parades, street plays, and concerts during the Carnival of Venice celebration. Visitors are also entertained with music and dance by street singers, jugglers, acrobats, and other entertainers.




Venice is magically transformed into a concoction of fun and celebrations during the Carnival of Venice. People are in a good mood as they get ready to celebrate the conclusion of the very restrained Lenten season.

The Importance Of Costumes And Masks

The most popular activity at the Carnival of Venice Festival is mask wearing. Everyone who attends the event does so while hiding their identity by donning a mask.

Because anonymity is crucial because it removes all boundaries, even those based on age, gender, and religion, there were the aristocracy and lower socioeconomic strata in the society at the time of the Carnival of Venice’s founding.

As a result, there was little contact between the individuals. Therefore, keeping names a secret allowed attendees to socialize during the event freely.

It should be mentioned that wearing a mask is subject to specific regulations. One is that neither men nor women are permitted to dress like the other. The use of obscene disguises in costumes is prohibited, according to a second guideline

. Also, the masks should only be worn during carnivals and not at other times. Feathers, diamonds, gesso, and paper-mâché are used to create these masks. During the event, acts like the Moretta, Pantalone, Colombina, and bauta are often used.




The festival’s masks and costumes have a theme created by the event planners each year. Additionally, there is a competition for the most beautiful mask, which an international group of fashion designers judges.

Le stelle dell’amore, composed by Horst Raack, and Alla Ricerca del Tempo Perduto, composed by Anna Marconi, were two of the contest’s previous winners.

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