Russia (bbabo.net), - The famous costume festival has started in Venice and will last until March 1st. Finally, it became possible to change medical masks to carnival ones: only a day before the start of the holiday, the Italian authorities canceled the mandatory observance of the mask regime in the open air. However, in 2022, the pandemic continues to make adjustments to the Venetian carnival, the first mention of which dates back to 1094.

The Venice Carnival takes place every year before the start of Lent, this year the motto of the carnival was the phrase "Remember the future". It is supervised from start to finish by Massimo Ceccheto, production designer at the local opera house La Fenice.

Despite the fact that the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, promised the residents of the city and all the guests of the carnival as close as possible to the atmosphere of the pre-Covid period, many of the traditional events were canceled, including even the so-called "Flight of the Angel", an integral part of the carnival since the 16th century. "Flight of an angel" during the carnival could be observed on the most famous square in Venice - Piazza San Marco. There, from the bell tower of the same name, which is about a hundred meters high, an acrobat was descending in a winged suit along a steel cable. And if the "Flight of the Angel" symbolizes the beginning of the carnival, then the symbol of its end is the ceremony called "Flight of the Lion", already canceled this year, during which everyone solemnly raises the flag of Venice over the same St. Mark's Square, which just depicts a winged a lion.

The competition of carnival costumes will not take place this year either - the event has been canceled in order to avoid a large crowd of people in one place. For the same reason, the procession of Mary will not be held, during which 12 girls dressed in ancient costumes, accompanied by a crowd, pass through the entire center of the city. Nevertheless, a scenographic installation has been installed on Piazza San Marco, available for inspection by guests of the carnival.

The coronavirus pandemic is not the only thing that has hampered the carnival throughout the centuries of its existence. So, for example, when in 1797 Napoleon's army captured Venice, which at that time was an independent state, carnivals were abolished along with the independence of the republic. The fame and popularity that the carnival has now, this event received in the eighties of the last century. Then the municipality of Venice decided to revive a long tradition in order to increase attention to the gradually sinking city and help local authorities raise money to save it.

bbabo.Net