Well, considering the fact that two weeks ago I had no idea that blogs existed, I had a lot of trouble thinking of a good topic for my first English Composition 2 blog. After many ideas came to me, I decided to blog about Venetian Carnival masks. Alright, now people are probably wondering why anyone would type 500 words about carnival masks. However, if we didn’t take the time to learn about the different cultures around us, we would never be able to effectively communicate to one another and bridge our cultural gaps.
The Venetian Carnival began in the eleventh century. The practice of wearing masks and costumes came about during the year 1436. The same year, maskmakers created their own guild to produce their artwork. The idea of wearing masks, however, was an ancient practice taken from the Romans during their religous festivals. The Venetian Carnival, like certain Roman festivals, had a religious origin. The Latin meaning of the Italian word “carnenvale” is “farewell to meat”. According to Glotz in his article, “European Masks”, this explains why the Venetian Carnival takes place during the weeks before the Roman Catholic season of Lent, when meat and other festive foods are discarted as a way to spritually cleanse the body.
Yet, the success of the Venetian Carnival grew so much that it contributed to its temporary demise. The 1700’s ushered in a very prosperous time for the carnival season in Venice. The carnival lasted for aproximately three months, during this period. But, so much money, time, and effort went into celebrating the Venetian Carnival, that the Venetian Republic suffered from lack of responsibility and funds. By the time Napoleon came into power in the late 1700’s, the Venetian Carnival had disappeared.
Now that the history of the Venetian Carnival has been covered, I can go into more detatil about the Venetian masks and how they are culturally important. The first misconsception about these masks is that they were just purely decorative accessories for the costumes. The fact is that the mask was more important then the costumes themselves. Venetians, during the time of the carnival, were very socially divided. Classes were strictly separated, preventing any interactions with other class memebers different from that of one’s own. But, during carnival, that all changed. What a perfect disguise! Everyone was wearing a mask and costume, so there was no pressure to stay with one’s own society. Of course, scandals and affairs could take place with out any interference from witnesses, especially when the affair was between different class members. The masks were intended to be social equalizers.
To go into even more detail, masks can be catigorized into three major groups. “Comedia dell’ Arte” masks portray classic traveling theatre characters, such as Harlequin. Next, the fantasy masks are those that are mainly just decorative figments of the masksmaker’s imagination. These are the most popular. In fact, I bought a green and gold one during my summer trip to Venice this past year. The last group can be defined as the more traditional versions of carnival masks. These masks are the “volto” or “half-mask” and the “Plague Doctor’s” mask. The “Plague Doctor’s” mask, according to piedmontarts.org, has a beak-like nose, where Venetians stuffed herbs that were supposed to prevent the wearer from contracting the Black Plague. Of course, we now know that the Plague was spread by the bites of infected rats that roamed unsanitary streets. That was an unfortunate enlightenment for those who thought those masks would actually work.
Finally, I’d like to share how the Venetian Carnival made its full return, during 1978. A group of former art students decided to open a modern maskmaking factory that year. The beautiful masks, being portable pieces of artwork, sell extremely well to this day. Along with the booming sales of masks came the reinstalation of the Venetian Carnival into the daily lives of Italians. The carnival season remains a huge part of the Venetian tourist revenue. Even when it is not carnival season, as with my personal experience, masks and costumes can be found everywhere.
I hope I have brought to life the history behind the Venetian Carnival and highlighted the importance of wearing masks as a part of Italian culture. Remember that amidst the color, intrigue and excitement of the Venetian Carnival lies a deeper meaning. It unifies people of diferent classes and backgrounds to form one mass of people in pursuit of happiness in an troubled world. Such a traditon is certainly worth keeping.
last edited on Wed, Sep 28, 4:59 PM