Origin of Venetian Carnival
The word carnival (Italian: carnevale) possibly comes from the Latin carnem levare or carnelevarium, which means to take away or remove meat!. A more probable option is that the word carnevale may be derived from the Latin carne + vale, meaning “farewell to meat”. Developed around the Roman Catholic festival of Lent (Quaresima – derived from the Latin term Quadragesima, or “the forty days”), carnevale was associated with the pre-Lenten festivals practiced on and around Martedà Grasso (Shrove Tuesday) or Mardi Gras (trans. Fat Tuesday).
It’s a fantastic time for italians a chance to get dressed and join in the celebrations around Italy. If you’re in Venice today.. lucky devil! Check out how beautiful it really is.
