A Brief History of Venetian Masks
Venetian Masks have had a long lived tradition and were worn for many occasions throughout the year.
Among the most famous carnivals we can of course count New Orleans in the United States, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Venice in Italy. The largest is in Rio de Janeiro, it last 8 days, the oldest is in Venice and from it came the wonderful masks we have gotten used to.
To wear a disguise is an ancient tradition among Venetians, and for many years masks were such an important part of social relationships that laws were enacted to regulate the wearing of masks, as an example I will cite that prostitutes were forbidden from wearing a mask.
We must of course say that masks were worn several months out of the year.
At the beginning of the 11th century, people dressed in costumes and wore bright, glittery masks were seen in the streets of Venice from December 26 to Mardi Gras in February. The streets were the meeting places whese people played games, had parades and contests, and other numerous races or other activities and shows.
In the 13th century, masks were worn from October on, people using the occasion to transgress all the social rules. The Republic was threatened by indecencies and morality decline and new laws had to be implemented to limit the growing immoral behavior that was increasing in Venice.
It was not until the beginning of the 14th century that mask wearing people were forbidden from going out at night. In the 15th century there was an attempt to re-establish moral rules in convents, and people with a mask were prohibited from entering into parlors were nuns would be present as well as churches.
During the 18th Century, before the carnival ceased temporarily with the fall of the Republic, the carnival lasted from early October to Lent, a period of about 6 months.
This led to some excesses that needed to be controlled, as it has been said : “It is so easy to misbehave when you can do it incognito”.
At the end of the 18th century mask wearing and the traditions associated with it declined slowly until they disappeared completely.
It is only around the 1980’s, that with the renaissance of the Venetian Carnival that masks saw a magnificent resurgence.
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