Carnival has arrived. Let's discover together the meanings of this holiday , so important in Italy and, given its origins, throughout the Mediterranean. The origins of the term Carnival, as we know, derive from the Latin carnem levare , meaning to abstain from meat , following a final banquet held by practicing Catholics before the fast of Lent , which represents Christ's fast in the desert. Although Carnival is celebrated during its last ten days, concluding with the pomp of Shrove Tuesday , this holiday refers to the entire period between the festivities in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot and the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.
The origins of Carnival
Other origins of this festival are recognized in the Mediterranean of the classical era, specifically in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. These were respectively festivals in honor of the goddess Isis, Dionysus, and Saturn , all united by the use of disguises and the overthrow of the pre-established order through the practice of mockery and debauchery . In honor of Saturn, until the spread of Christianity in the Italian peninsula, populations used to celebrate in mid-December, between the 17th and 23rd day of the month, with solemn sacrifices in temples consecrated to Saturn, followed by public banquets where diners exchanged wishes of well-being and prosperity. Well-being and prosperity depended on the agricultural harvest, therefore invoking the blessing of Saturn, patron of sowing, served to hope for the healthy growth of the crops and to ward off storms and hailstorms. In the private sphere, banquets, disguises, farces, orgies, and the exchange of gifts were the most appropriate forms of celebration; even slaves experimented with and enjoyed temporary freedoms.
Christianization
With Christianization, these pagan rites became social fossils , simultaneously buried and integrated, preserved in their forms but exploited in the name of nascent Christian monotheism , its new traditions and dogmas. The celebrations, in fact, were postponed to February, thus representing a continuum of festivities and linking collective pagan memory to the Judeo-Christian tradition of Easter . With the growth of Christianity and the advent of the Middle Ages, the carnem levare reached its peak with events capable of involving the entire population. The great celebrations of Venice, Florence, and Rome were born, with large parades of allegorical floats and masked crowds, destined to continue to this day with alternating success and decline throughout the ages.
During the same period, various masks and costumes emerged, becoming true icons of identity for the region or city from which they originated. This contributed to the diversification and characterization of events and celebrations, thus attracting large groups of tourists from other regions and nations. The scarce or limited presence of Carnival in many non-Catholic nations means that these events increasingly attract people from these regions, otherwise forced into the cold routine of February.
The strength of carnival
As described above, Carnival represents a temporary disruption of the established order. Legalized disguises, pranks, festive cities, and the behavior of crowds are a brief temporal interlude compared to the length of the working year, but by virtue of this, the Carnival spirit reaches a considerable intensity that has always fueled the fear of the ruling classes . For these reasons, it is worth remembering the Napoleonic, and later Austro-Hungarian, ordinances aimed at prohibiting the Venetian Carnival because it heralded social unrest and potential revolts. For the same reasons, likely, the Carnival imagery is repurposed by cinema and comics in the depiction of opposing factions in the fantasy and science fiction genres, drawing on elements of disguise, chaos, and debauchery.
A look from afar
The studies of anthropologist Gregory Bateson can be of great help and support in reflecting on carnival and its meanings. In his work " Naven, " he analyzes the eponymous ceremony practiced in New Guinea by the Iatmul people . Although the Naven is a rite of passage, it can be useful in identifying further meanings of the topic in question. Upon killing an animal or an enemy, the young Iatmul undergoes a unique rite of passage. It should be noted that the Iatmul people were characterized by a strong division of gender roles: the women of the family were responsible for the affection and care of the child, while the men were entrusted with the role of teachers and austere guides. During this rite, a reversal of roles occurs: the women dress up as men, imitating their role, and the maternal uncle dresses up as a woman, acting as a mother. Thus, the young man finds himself cuddled and fondled by his maternal uncle, usually a stern father, and scolded and beaten by women disguised as men. We can thus focus on the elements common to Carnival: the hilarity present during the ritual, the disguise, the enactment of stereotypes of social figures and genders. Bateson's concept of schismogenesis refers to the cumulative interactions between individuals that provoke certain individuals' reactions toward others.
Purposes and functions
Ultimately, all these behaviors and their manifestation in different forms serve the purpose of temporarily recovering and practicing individual freedom in opposition to externally imposed social roles, with the aim of venting individual and collective tensions , restoring and maintaining the status quo at the end of the celebrations.
René Verneau
