ppt Carnival_ITALY

Italy

Bits and Pieces of Culture

Carnival Customs

• History
• Main Carnivals
• Typical masks
• Carnival in our town
• Typical food

Carnival in Italy

• In ancient times Carnival was associated to the fertility of the earth or celebrations in honor of the coming of Spring.
• It has roots in pagan festivals and traditions from ancient Greece and Rome but it was adapted to fit into the Catholic rituals.
• The Italian word Carnevale comes from the Latin "carnem levare" (= take meat away) and it refers to the period of Lent, when no meat was eaten by the Christians. Then it became “carne vale” (goodbye, meat!)

• It ends with the Christian celebration of Lent (40 days before Easter) on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso), the day before Ash Wednesday (when people stop eating meat). 

The history of Carnival

Misterbianco

• Carnival is one of the most loved festivals by young and old people.
• In many different cities you can see giant papier-mâché floats, colorful fancy costumes, shows and masquerade balls.
• Carnival songs accompany the parades and bring great joy.
• The Carnival of Viareggio is one of the most important in Italy and Europe. Venice Carnival is one of the most popular in the world.

Cento

Acireale

Putignano

Venice

Viareggio

Ivrea

Most famous Carnivals across Italy

Ivrea: it started in medieval times with the Battle of the Oranges

Putignano: one of the oldest carnivals in Europe. The typical mask is «Farinella»

Acireale: papier-mâché floats and flower floats parade around the main streets

Venice: famous around the world for its costumes and masks. It started from a victory of the Republic of Venice against the Patriarch of Aquileia in 1162

Viareggio: allegorical papier-mâché floats parade along the city’s beach and shops

Main Carnivals

Colombina

• first appeared in the 16th century
• City: Venice
• Main traits: pretty, vain, malicious  

• Masks celebrate the traditions of cities and regions of Italy.
• Each region has its own typical masks, which represent caricatures of the vices and defects of the inhabitants
• Created for the Italian “Commedia dell’Arte” (a form of popular theatre from16th to 18th century)

Pantalone

• first appeared in the 16th century
• City: Venice
• Main traits: greedy, cruel

Pulcinella

• first appeared in the 17th century
• City: Naples
• Main traits: a dreamer; sometimes stupid, sometimes brilliant

Arlecchino

• first appeared in the 16th century
• City: Bergamo
• Main traits: a cheeky servant,

Typical ITALIAN Masks

• first appeared in Venice in the 13th century and then spread across Italy and Europe
• people wore masks at different times of the year
• they were used to protect people’s identity
• wearing masks people were able to hide any differences of social class
• this tradition was forbidden at the end of the 18th century but restored in 1979
• more decorated and coloured than typical masks

VENETIAN masks

Our school

Every year hundreds of people wear original hand-made costumes and parade through the streets of our town. Parades are accompanied by music and dances. Local schools parade too!

It all began in 1940s with a Sicilian comedy play called «a’ Mascara» (=the mask), where people wore costumes while acting in Sicilian dialect.

Misterbianco Carnival is known for its magnificent parades of the most beautiful costumes of Sicily.

Misterbianco Carnival

In the 80’s girls wore a Domino: a typical costume made up of a black cloak and a mask so that the boys wouldn’t be able to see the faces of the girls. Today Carnival in Misterbianco is very different from 50-40 years ago.

Carnival in the past…

• 9 Carnival groups
• Average number of costumes per group: 80-180
• Annual theme chosen by each group
• Materials: fabric, polystyrene, plastic (or iron)
• Weight: up to 30 kg
• Minimum price: about €300
• Preparation time: about 5 months

Carnival Costumes

• Established in 2009
• Location: Stabilimento Monaco, Misterbianco
• Permament exhibition of the best costumes
• Number of costumes: 38

THE MUSEUM OF CARNIVAL Costumes

Castagnole are small pieces of fried dough externally fragrant and soft inside, rolled in sugar.

Chiacchiere is fried thin pastry topped with chocolate or powdered sugar. This dessert is made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs and alcohol component. The dough is cut into strips and fried. Finally, it is dusted with powdered sugar.

Maccaruni ccu 5 puttusa is macaroni with a bigger central hole and four small lateral ones, prepared in a rich sauce. The sauce is made with meat, sausage, pork rind, onion, tomato sauce, carrot, peas, celery, garlic, oil, basil and black pepper.

Typical Food