The Venice Carnival (Carnevale di Venezia) is a grand event in Italy and one of the most famous carnivals in the world. This costumed masquerade ball is the oldest of all carnivals on the planet, held annually in Venice. The traditional Venice Carnival lasts more than two weeks - the date of its opening depends on the beginning of the Catholic Great Lent, and it ends on the eve of Ash Wednesday.

When
The duration of the carnival (and the carnival lasts 10 days) is planned in such a way that its last day falls on the so-called "Fat Tuesday" - the Tuesday after which Ash Wednesday begins (the first day of the Catholic 40-day Lent before Easter).

History
The Venetian carnival has a long history - the first documentary mention of it dates back to 1094, and its origins date back to the ancient era. The holiday in honor of the god Saturn was celebrated after the harvest and was accompanied by mass festivities. Moreover, during the holiday, slaves were allowed to sit at the master's table on a par with the owners, but so that class prejudices did not spoil the fun, everyone hid their faces under masks.

In Christian times, the church used this ancient holiday to prepare Christians for Lent, so that people could have plenty of fun. And again, in order to equalize all social differences between the inhabitants of Venice, during the days of the carnival, people put on costumes and masks. The Venetian carnivals reached their peak in the 18th century, when dances in the squares and luxurious carnival costumes became true examples of high fashion, and the heroes of the Italian comedy became the main characters of the holiday. This is where the half-masks, which are now called Venetian masks, originated. I must say that the mask in the comedy indicated the special qualities of the hero, each character had his own mask, characteristic only for him. This marked the beginning of the appearance on the streets of the city of Harlequins, Pierrot, Pantalone, and the lovely Columbine became the emblem of the carnival. At the end of the 18th century, due to revolutionary moods in the country, the carnival practically faded away, and at the beginning of the 20th century it was vetoed and removed only in 1979 at the initiative of Federico Fellini and with the permission of the Pope. In 1996, the Venice Carnival received its own anthem, which Written by famous couturier Pierre Cardin.

Today, the Venice Carnival is celebrated annually and attracts a huge number of tourists from all over the world. Venice is beautiful at any time of the year, but it is especially beautiful during the Carnival. Every year, more than half a million fans of this magical holiday and just romantics come to Venice to enjoy the enchanting atmosphere of the carnivals of past centuries, join cheerful street processions and take part in costume performances. Traditionally, the carnival opens with the ancient ritual "Volo della Colombina", which originated in the 18th century. From the bell tower in St. Mark's Square, a paper dove Colombina is launched, which explodes in flight and showers the crowd gathered in the square with a rain of confetti. The ritual associated with the medieval festival of Festa delle Marie, which marks the release of Venetian girls kidnapped by pirates from Istria, is also fundamental. Theatrical performances are arranged on St. Mark's Square, and then the holiday pours into the narrow streets, accompanied by music, dancing and mass fun. Unlike other places, the carnival in Venice completely covers the entire city - people dressed as world-famous Italian characters: Harlequin, Pierrot, Pantalone and many others fill all the streets, concerts and performances, performances of magicians, jugglers, sword swallowers, mimes take place in spacious squares., acrobats, clowns and snake charmers, fireworks, noisy festivities and processions are arranged.
In addition, many of Venice's ancient palaces host traditional costume balls and exclusive private receptions. For kids, there is a children's carnival in Piazza San Polo. For 12 days, Venice with its streets and squares, canals, gondoliers and bridges turns into a giant stage with scenery for one of the most grandiose and dazzling carnivals in the world. Unbridled fantasy, non-stop music, sleepless nights, a parade of decorated boats and gondolas on the Grand Canal, and also masks, masks, masks ... - all this is a magical medieval holiday - the Venice Carnival, and everyone can take part in it.

The carnival ends with a parade of costumes, amazing fireworks over the lagoon in front of the square San Marco, the burning of a straw effigy - a pagan ritual symbolizing the renewal of nature, and mass dances in Piazza San Marco. And the ringing of the bells of the church of San Francesco della Vigna announces the beginning of Lent.

The main events of the Venice Carnival
Best Carnival Costume Contest
During the carnival, a competition is held for the best carnival costume and the best carnival mask (Concorso della Maschera più bella). A large stage is set up in Piazza San Marco - the Gran Teatro. Twice a day, contestants demonstrate their costumes on stage. The costume should to some extent correspond to the theme of the carnival. Candidates are selected from among the participants to participate in the final of the competition. The Grand Final takes place on the last weekend of the carnival.
Anyone or a group of people can take part in the competition. The terms of participation in the competition may change. To participate in the competition, you must first submit an application via the Internet. Registration opens about a month before the start of the carnival.

Angel Flight
"Flight of the Angel" (Il Volo dell'Angelo) is one of the traditional events of the Venice Carnival. There is a lot of obscurity in the history of this show. According to one version, in the middle of the sixteenth century, a young acrobat passed over the crowd on a rope stretched from a boat on the Piazzetta pier to the bell tower. Subsequently, this number was repeated and modified many times. Most often, a man suspended from a rope descended to the Doge's palace. In 1759, the show ended in tragedy when the acrobat fell to the ground. The show in this form was banned. In one version, a dove made of wood descended along a rope (the Flight of an Angel became the Flight of a Dove). There were no flights for a long period of time.
In 2001 Angel Flight was revived. New materials and technologies have made it possible to make the show safe. As a rule, at noon, on the first Sunday of the holiday, over the jubilant crowd, a man dressed in an angel's costume descends on a rope from the bell tower of San Marco to the square. As a rule, the role of the angel is played by a famous athlete, artist, or winner of the previous year's Mary festival. (You need to be a brave girl to fly over the square.)

There are other flights at the Venice Carnival:
The Flight of the Eagle (“il volo” dell'Aquila) takes place one week after the Flight of the Angel on Piazza San Marco.
The Flight of the Donkey (Volo dell'Asino) takes place in Mestre (a suburb in Venice on the mainland). This is a parody of Angel Flight.
Flight of the Lion (il “volo del Leon”). A canvas descends from the bell tower of St. Mark's Cathedral, which depicts the symbol of the city of the Golden Lion. This event is considered the symbolic end of the carnival.

Mary's Feast
The Feast of Mary (Mary's Festival, La Festa delle Marie) is one of the main events of the Venice Carnival. This colorful event has a connection with the events that took place in Venice over a thousand years ago. There are various legends explaining the origin of the holiday.
Perhaps the celebration of Mary's day began in 943. It is believed that in Venice there was a tradition of helping girls from poor families to get married. On the days of the cleansing of Mary, on February 2, a collective blessing of the brides took place in San Pietro di Castello. Twelve beautiful girls from poor families received a dowry collected through donations. The Doge of Venice gave the girls beautiful jewelry and gold from the treasury of the city. On this day, various events took place in different parts of the city.
In 943, pirates broke into the city and captured the brides with all their dowries. After some confusion, the Venetians organized a chase, overtook the pirates in Caorle, freed the girls and returned the stolen jewelry.
In honor of this victory over the pirates, it was decided to celebrate Marie's day. The celebration began with the selection of the twelve most beautiful girls in Venice (two from each district). Wealthy citizens helped the girls by giving beautiful clothes and jewelry. The girls walked (sailed on gondolas) through the city, attending religious services in the main churches of Venice. After 1272, the holiday gradually became less colorful for economic and religious reasons. It is believed that the festival of Mary ceased to be held after 1379.
The feast of Mary in Venice was revived after 1999 for the entertainment of city residents and tourists. The selection of girls to participate in the festival begins a few weeks before the festival. The festival usually takes place in the afternoon on the first Saturday of the carnival. Twelve Maries in colorful, period costumes, accompanied by a long procession, pass from the church of San Pietro di Castello to Piazza San Marco. On the next day, the official announcement of