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Seasonal Festivals
Carnival
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"Carnem
levare" or "Carne vale!" – “meat farewell!”
Who remembers this old saying today when thinking of this chaotic time
of the year? The oldest, and perhaps today still the most beautiful carnival,
is that of Venice, with its precious masks. That’s why we chose
its image as the title photo for our guide.
It was out of medieval fools celebrations that various forms of the today's carnivals and carnival nights developed in the remainder of Europe. In fact, the earliest origins of carnival extend more deeply still, since "feasting" and “fasting” are two extremes which have marked human existence for 10,000 years. Already at this time the advanced cultures of the near East celebrated the seasonal change between abundance and scarceness of food.
The word "carneval" also derived from the Latin term "Carrus
Navalis" - the gala carriage shaped in the form of a boat, which
was used in Ancient Rome as part of a procession during the cleaning rites,
which took place in February, at the time of the last month in the Roman
calendar. And even today you can find grand cortèges with floats
and figures of papier machè of up to 25 m high, which conclude
the celebrations. Carnival celebrations were originally a time in which
the social order was temporarily suspended, where rich could play poor
and the poor play rich, a representation of a "topsy-turvy world",
and originally blossomed in church circles and spread particularly in
Catholic areas of Europe. One exception of note is the carnival in Basel,
which takes place after Ash Wednesday.
The development of these celebrations is as diverse as the characters
of the people on which they are based, and therefore you should be prepared
to encounter a wide and diverse range of festivities in this category.
Non-European immigrants have also brought new forms into the carnival, in accordance with their tradition where the carnival takes place during summer- circumstance that makes the costumes and clothing matter a lot easier.
Just how different carnival celebrations can be is demonstrated both on this web site and throughout the course of the guide. The quiet, almost mystical carnival of Venice cannot be compared to the multicoloured, exotic Notting Hill carnival of London or to that of Cologne. Each possesses, nevertheless its own, special fascination. Choose the one that appeals to you the most!
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