The Origins of Carnival

One of the most celebrated holidays in Italy is that of Carnival, the days in which participants indulge in good food, drink, and lots of partying before entering into the Catholic Church’s Lent season, traditionally considered as a period of penitence and self-restraint. This year, Carnival takes place from the beginning of February until Martedi Grasso, or Fat Tuesday, on February 21.

The origins of Carnival are just as mysterious as the holiday itself. We are not certain how Carnival began, however, there are several theories speaking to its roots. One popular theory is that it was a pagan festival that involved the entire community and was celebrated in ancient Greece between December and February. Another possibility is that it found its beginnings in the ancient celebrations commemorating the arrival of spring, with revelers allowing themselves to be carried away by dance and drunkenness, as in the bacchanals of Greece.

These celebrations transformed throughout time, as in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Medici family of Florence organized grand masked parades, where floats called ”trionfi” were accompanied by Carnival songs, some of which Lorenzo the Magnificent wrote himself. Meanwhile, down in papal Rome, Carnival festivities included horse races and the “gara dei moccoletti,” in which all participants held small lit candles and raced to snuff out as many of the other participants’ candles as possible.

The etymology of the word Carnival is also under debate. Some believe that it originated from a Latin phrase, “carrum novalis,” which was the name of a special allegorical float that Romans used to initiate their commemorations. Others think that “Carnival” has less ancient roots, coming from the medieval expression, “carnem levare,” referring to the tradition of eliminating meat from one’s diet during the time of Lent.