Carnival is one of the periods, that both kids and adults wait, to wear a mask and become someone else for a day, for example a character of a fiction, an historical figure, a character in literature, of a movie or from a TV series, or in other cases takes a cue and represents a parody of daily life or of current events. The term Carnival comes from the Latin “carnem levare” and means cut meat off, because in the catholic tradition it is the holiday season before Lent, that is a time of fasting before Easter, during which particularly in the past, people wanted to avoid to eat meat. Indeed, its origins are much more remote even if nobody knows exactly when it is born. Someone thinks that Carnival origins can be traced back to the heritage of pagan holidays of the ancient Greece, held on 17 December (Saturnalia, in honour of the god Saturn) and on 15 February (Lupercalia, in honour of the god Luperco), during which the hierarchies and the social obligations were replaced by the overthrow of the order, jokes and dissolution, instead some others believe that they are the heritage of the Egyptian holidays in honour of the goddess Isis. The celebrations and traditions of Carnival draw to fun and to the chance to live some cheerful days with fancy parades, floats, confetti and streamers, Carnival jokes and typical Carnival sweets, which are mostly fried.
The Italian Carnival stands out for its regional and traditional masks and the reputation that some have goes beyond national borders, the most important take place in the city of: Venice, Viareggio, Ivrea but also in Acireale and Putignano.
A list of the main regional masks appears belo
Abruzzi – Frappiglia
Basilicata – Rumit
Calabria – Giangurgolo
Campania – Pulcinella
Emilia Romagna – Doctor Balanzone
Friuli Venezia Giulia – Babaci, Kukaci, Pust
Lazio – Rugantino
Liguria – Captain Spaventa
Lombardy – Meneghino
Marche – Musciolino, Papagnoco, Burlandoto
Molise – Three leprechauns or three monks
Piedmont – Gianduia
Apulia – Farinella
Sardinia – Mamuthones
Sicily – Peppe Nappa
Tuscany – Stenterello e Burlamacco
Trentino Alto Adige – Matoci, Schnappviechern
Umbria – Bartoccio
Valle d’Aosta – Le Landzette
Veneto – Harlequin, Pantalone, Colombina, Rosaura e Brighella
