All You Need To Know About The Popular Venice Carnival

Giacomo Casanova was no fake tale and the mysterious fun events of olden days continue to come back to life every year through the ten day Venice Carnival you don’t want to miss! “Thousands lined the bridges and canal banks of Venice to watch the floating parade. One of the world’s oldest carnivals, it started in the 11th century as a celebration before Lent. The two-week event now attracts tourists from all over the globe, with dancers, costumes and music lighting up the city. It was scaled down during the pandemic, but got back to normal this year,” said BBC. 

“Carnevale originated in the late 14th century as a period of unrestrained indulgence, frivolity and hedonism before the sober 40 days of Lent began. Social roles – and sometimes genders – were subverted, and masks aided an atmosphere of revelry, liberty and even deception. The word ‘carnevale’ comes from the Latin ‘carnem levare’ – to remove meat – referring to the frugality of Lent. As such, Carnival was also a moment to eat and drink with abandon, resulting in the creation of several indulgent festive foods. The licence and pleasure, encouraged by anonymous masking, led the event to be outlawed in 1797. It only returned in 1979 when the Italian government sought to revive Venice’s culture and history,” Euronews wrote.