Mystique and masquerade at Venice Carnivale
The Venice Carnival is the largest and most important festival in Venice, and arguably all of Italy: attracting thousands of people from around the world each year, it is an intoxicating cocktail of tradition, entertainment, history and transgression in a unique city.
The theme for the 2009 Carnival, which will take place from February 13 to 24, is "Sensation: 6 senses for 6 districts". It is intended to take visitors on a journey of discovery of the city, taking in the six main districts that will each stage performances and presentations relating to one of the senses.
The Carnival has very old origins. It is a festival that celebrates the passage from winter into spring, a time when seemingly anything is possible, including the illusion where the most humble of citizens can become indistinguishable from the most powerful simply by wearing masks. The official start of the Venice Carnival dates back to 1296, when the Senate of the Republic made the Carnival official with an edict declaring the day before Lent a public holiday. After an interruption lasting almost two centuries, the tradition of Carnival was 'rediscovered' by the Municipality in 1980 and since then it has taken place every year with success.
Yet, as with the masked carnival-goers themselves, all is not always as it seems, and this year native Venetians are fighting back against the official Carnival, which some describe as a 'sponsored pantomime'.
Read more on The Guardian:
Click the images below for larger versions:
