There are still several weeks of Carnival ahead of us, but it is exactly these last weeks that are usually the most interesting, so, we will continue this topic. Did you know that the term ‘carnival’ comes from the Latin expression ‘carne vale’, which can be translated as ‘farewell to meat’? In old Polish language in turn, the word ‘mięsopust’ (‘parting with meat’) was used to describe the last days of Carnival. To be honest, I haven’t thought about it before, but I think it’s worth knowing about.
When I mention carnival, the Carnivals in Rio de Janeiro and Venice spring to mind. Well, they represent two completely different styles and types of the carnival celebrations, but without doubt, each one of them has a unique charm and deserves special attention.
So, I encourage you to visit the Carnival of Venice official website together with your child; there, you will find a lovely video coverage of the last year’s Carnival and an agenda of all events planned for this year. Anyone tempted to go? If so, please keep us updated!
Last week, we suggested making a carnival mask with your child. But were you aware of the fact that there are at least eight types of carnival masks in Venice? They vary not only in the material they are made of, but most of all, in appearance. The one that we see most often in the coverages of Venetian masquerade balls is Volto or Larva (standing for a ghost in Latin). These masks actually are a bit disturbing.
It’s interesting to notice that carnivals used to be the most democratic of feasts, with the masks hiding faces of those who wore them, everyone could celebrate together, regardless of any differences.
In the Brazilian Carnival celebrations, the masks are almost non-existent and so are the costumes, I will not comment on them, because this a kids blog. Yet, I did manage to find something nice for the little ones. I recommend visiting the Rio carnival website – it’s amazing! It will show you how a samba school drums section works and which instruments it is made of – all in an original, nice and above all, interactive way. My daughter had fun playing it for 12 minutes or so.
Of course, there are many more carnival parades in the world. If you’re willing to learn a bit more about how and where Carnival is celebrated, visit this subjective ranking of carnivals.
Still this week, we will offer you and your kids something cool and very Polish, so please stay tuned and follow us on Facebook…
