In the collective imagination, the Venice Carnival is often associated with the splendor and transgressions of the 17th and 18th centuries, also thanks to the famous paintings of Francesco Guardi and Pietro Longhi, as well as the theatrical works of Carlo Goldoni and the writings of Giacomo Casanova. Actually, the 17th and 18th centuries are just a moment in the long and complex history of the Venice Carnival, today perhaps the most well-known and spectacular festival of the lagoon city, which in 2022 celebrates 1600 years.
Rituals of the Most Serene Republic
Appearing at the end of the 11th century, the Venetian Carnival soon became one of the key episodes of an important ritual aimed at celebrating the political and economic success of the Most Serene Republic; its celebratory and festive dimension was gradually refined over time until, in the 18th century, it became the quintessential symbol of urban carnivals throughout Europe. Through the centuries, no one remained immune to the changing charm and mystery of the millennial Venetian Carnival, least of all Professor Gilles Bertrand, professor of modern history at the University of Grenoble Alpes, as well as one of the foremost experts on the history of the Carnival of Venice.
Although the etymology, the Latin “carnem levare” meaning “to give up meat“, is of Christian origin, the roots of the carnival tradition go back to an even more remote time, when the transition from winter to spring was celebrated. Already the Dionysian cults in Ancient Greece and the Saturnalia in Roman times indicated a period of the year when it was permitted to overturn the strict social order.
Early testimonies
The first testimony of the Carnival in Venice is a document from the Doge Vitale Falier, dated 1094, which mentions public entertainments, while in 1296 the day preceding Lent officially became, thanks to an edict of the Senate of the Most Serene Republic, a public holiday. However, documents are not very numerous during the Middle Ages, and it seems that the Carnival of Venice resembled very much that of other cities of the Mediterranean Europe, at least until the 13th century. At this time, the festivity lasted six weeks, from December 26 to Ash Wednesday, although celebrations sometimes started already in the first days of October.
The Venice Carnival Among the Districts
It is only from the 14th century that a properly Venetian Carnival began to be developed, which fits into a context of clear political and economic origins. “Besides the religious dimension,” explains Professor Bertrand, “the Carnival had at least two other functions. One of these was political: since the Middle Ages, the Carnival served to reinforce the aggregation, the cohesion of the population of the districts, using the memory of historical or legendary events aimed at recalling the successes and the progressive extension of the Republic’s dominion. But there was also, at a certain point, an economic survival dimension, linked to the ability to present itself as a luxurious and attractive city towards which people from all over Europe converged. This third function, one could say, extended from the beginning of the modern era, that is from the mid-16th century, in the time of Titian and Veronese, until the end of the Republic in 1797. This significance began to gain prominence when Venice’s economic and diplomatic prestige, at its peak in the 14th and 15th centuries, weakened. Venice then tried to maintain itself as a prestigious, rich, and splendid capital in the eyes of sovereigns, aristocrats, merchants, and artists from all over Europe.”
Entertainment for all social classes
The Venice Carnival is a moment of entertainment for all social classes, both for the common people and the nobility, even if certain distinctions remain in effect. “Everyone had fun,” recounts Professor Bertrand, “and for certain carnival spectacles, such as the regattas, bull hunts, or the Fat Thursday festival, the common people and nobles could come together. Everyone could meet in Campo Santo Stefano or in Piazza San Marco. But overall, there was a real divide, even on those occasions. With the practice of the liston, the nobles would show off in front of everyone, making their difference from the common people clear. Even disguising oneself in bautta did not equalize conditions, as the quality of a lace or the way the tricorne was worn on the head were also signs of recognition. In modern times, and perhaps even more so in the nineteenth century, the common people liked to enjoy the Carnival as a time of pleasures for the palate, while the fear of crowds drove nobles to go to their villas outside Venice, to escape the noise.”
Transformations of the Venice Carnival through the centuries
The carnival celebrations in Venice have undergone profound metamorphoses over the centuries, and consist of countless events, some more refined, others more popular. “Certain games, rituals, and festivities that were very popular among the people during the Middle Ages gradually disappeared because they were considered too violent. First in the mid-sixteenth century a more refined Carnival established itself in its costumes and way of dressing up, more controlled by the government, with private parties on one side, separate from popular ones, and collective celebrations on the other, intended to dazzle Venetians and foreigners, playing on the virtues and magnificence of the setting, particularly that of Piazza San Marco and the Grand Canal. Secondly, the military dimension and protection against hostile natural elements had generated acrobatic exercises or fights between groups of young people or with animals: the government tried to maintain them to please the people, but gradually they were stopped.”
Some Venice Carnival Shows Disappear
Among the events that disappear are also remembered the fistfight between Castellani and Nicolotti, abolished in 1705, the bull hunts (1802) and, in 1816, the popular show of the Forces of Hercules with human pyramids in Piazzetta San Marco. Unfortunately, with the fall of the Serenissima and the French and Austrian occupation of 1797, the very long tradition of the Venice Carnival is interrupted for fear of rebellions and popular disorders. “The need for Venice to be seen as beautiful in the eyes of all of Europe disappears,” says professor Bertrand, “and to use the Carnival as a showcase intended to make it known that it remained independent, rich and lavish as in the times when it dominated the Mediterranean, in the 14th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the French arrive with a suspicion, typical of revolutionary times, against masks and disguises; then follows the will of the Austrians to reorganize this ancient capital as a simple provincial capital. Few theaters, few pleasures: the Carnival first disappears, then after the Napoleonic era, and then under the second Austrian rule, its manifestations were limited to the opening of theaters, some balls, some regattas and some masked parades on the streets, until the complete disappearance of its public expressions with the Unification of Italy. For decades the Carnival was mostly limited to nostalgic parties in private palaces and with the participation of artists.” Only in the islands of the Venice lagoon, such as Murano and Burano, do the celebrations continue, preserving vigor and cheerfulness.
The Venice Carnival Today
Feast of the Marie and the Flight of the Angel
The revival of this millennial tradition comes almost two centuries later, in 1979, on the initiative of the Municipality of Venice and some city associations. Masks, costumes, parades, dances: the Venice Carnival, now celebrated every year in the ten days preceding Lent, is largely inspired by the Baroque atmospheres of the 17th century, as well as the splendour of the 18th century. Often characterized and dedicated to an underlying theme, the new editions of the Carnival have also been enriched with numerous events inspired by the history and traditions of the lagoon city, such as the Feast of the Marie and the Flight of the Angel.
