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It's saturday, which means it's time for my #ItalianThread! Today, I want to talk about a major Italian festivity that will start in these days...
So, put on your masks and be ready to learn about
CARNEVALE
A two week-long Italian festivity with pagan roots
1/?
So, put on your masks and be ready to learn about
CARNEVALE A two week-long Italian festivity with pagan roots
1/?
Nowadays, Carnevale identifies the two weeks (and two days) before the Lent. It's the final time to get wild and party before the sombre period of meditation, according to catholic tradition. The festivity has its peak from Giovedì Grasso to Martedì Grasso (Thurs-Tuesday) 2/?
In the peak of Carnevale, it's tradition to wear colorful masks and parade around the city in elaborate floats. I'm sure you're all familiar with Venice's Carnevale, but other Italian cities are just as wild - check out these amazing floats from Viareggio! 3/?
You can wear whatever mask you like for carnevale, although there are a bunch of traditional masks. Born as masks in the Commedia dell'Arte, they are typical of every Italian region - the most famous one is without any doubt Arlecchino, with his iconic colorful dress 4/?
But what are the origins of this festivity? As with many Italian festivity, it has ancient and pagan roots. The exact origin is uncertain, but there are theories. Carnevale has, in fact, many similarities with the Roman Saturnalia. 5/?
During the Saturnalia, the social order was disrupted. Slaves became owners, poors became rich, it was a time of hazed celebration and light-hearted mischief - much like Carnevale. During the Saturnalia, floats were also paraded around the city 6/?
The tradition of floats is even more ancient. During the Greek anthesterias (an Athenian festival in honour of Dyonisus) the floats symbolized the restauration of the cosmic order after the primordial chaos (symbolised by the period of festivity). 7/?
And in ancient Babylon as well, we find festivities to celebrate the triumph of order over chaos (the god Marduk against the dragon Tiamat) in which parades used to represent this struggle flooded the cities. 8/?
All these ancient traditions merged in the modern Carnevale festivity - a period of chaos where social norms are discarded, which will however make way to the restauration of order through the Lent and the salvific figure of Jesus (just as Marduk and Dyonisus were before him) 9/?
Carnevale is an amazing example of how, in Italy, Catholicism still has extremely deep pagan roots and how most of our traditional festivities have an heritage that dates back millennia. 10/?
Of course most people are not aware of this, they just like this colorful festivity where you dress up in cool masks and throw confetti and 'stelle filanti' at beautiful floats. This, though, doesn't erase Carnevale's ancient history. 11/?
Another fundamental aspect of Carnevale is... the food, of course! But this calls for another thread, which I may do later this evening because I'm feeling generous 
And if you're curious for more Italian threads, browse this page! 12/12 https://linktr.ee/FTacchi
And if you're curious for more Italian threads, browse this page! 12/12 https://linktr.ee/FTacchi
