It’s Carnival time in Italy, and all regions are busy preparing and having fun according to tradition. I’ve been celebrating carnival in Sardinia since I was a child, for me it was a sacrosanct annual event to be spent out from morning to late night with friends. No other possible option, having fun and getting dressed up with the most unlikely masquerade. Then I grew up, and while carnival hasn’t lost its charm to me, I started looking at it in a whole different way.
I wrote an article for Forbes Travel Guide on the 5 Top Carnivals in Italy, and I invite you to read it if you are interested in some fascinating Italian traditions.
Among the celebrations I mentioned are obviously the ones in Sardinia, my hometown, where carnival is always a crucial gathering. Ancestral thousand-year-old rituals such as the one of Mamoiada’s Mamuthones, and the reckless horse tournament of Oristano’s Sartiglia are among my favorite, but also towns like Samugheo and Ottana organize great events, in case you happen in the island around this time of the year, some 40-45 days before Easter, right before Lent. (If you are in Oristano, make sure you contact either Fondazione Sa Sartiglia or the local tourism board if you need any help).
Here is a small collection of some of my favorite images from each of the carnival:
Carnival of Venice
Mask on Venice Laguna
One more floating on the Laguna
I love this photo, it gives the idea of the melancoly that Venice has, at least in my mind.
Artist performing Il Volo dell’Angelo, coming down from San Marco bell tower.
One more from Il Volo dell’Angelo
Venice masks always know how to pose in front of a camera.
I love this photo!
Carnival is all about colors!
All photos are courtesy of Carnevale di Venezia
Carnival in Sardinia
Oristano’s “Sa Sartiglia”
“Su Componidori” blesses the crowd
Acrobatic stunts from the saddle
Catching the star
Horse tournament
Proud after catching the star
All photos are courtesy of Fondazione Sa Sartiglia
Mamoiada’s “Mamuthones”
Costume of a Mamothone
Mamuthones performing the first ritual led by red-clad Issohadore before going out in the streets.
Performing the ritual around the streets of the village.
The Mamuthone mask
Close-up of the mask, the uglier, the better.
Carnival of Viareggio
All photos are courtesy of Carnevale di Viareggio
Carnival of Ivrea
The famous Battle of the Oranges
It can’t get messier than this!
All photos are courtesy of Turismo Torino e Provincia and Fondazione Storico Carnevale di Ivrea
Carnival of Putignano
Preparing the carriages for the parade for Carnevale di Putignano.
All photos are courtesy of Carnevale di Putignano
“Evocative of unbridled fun and colorful costumes, carnival (or carnevale in Italian) originates from ancestral rituals performed in the occasion of the arrival of the warm season to bode well for the imminent harvest. Today, all over Italy, carnival season means wild parties, allegoric carriages and funny masks, and every region proudly preserves their own traditions.
Be it a spectacular parade, an ancient ceremony or a thrilling horse tournament, here are some of the main carnivals in Italy, and depending on your passions, you can pick the type of amusement you prefer and join the fun.”
Do check out my article to find out more about the celebrations in Venice, Sardinia, Viareggio, Ivrea and Putignano!
The post Carnival in Italy, colorful celebrations between fun and tradition appeared first on Chasing The Unexpected.