Tuesday 24 September 2013

The masks of Venice to celebrate carnival and now decoration in our living room

When we say carnival, we think of cities like Aalst (Belgium), Köln (Germany), Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Caribbean and also Venice (Italy). Probably the Venice carnival is one of the most traditional in the world. Look back in to history at masked parties and you see similar carnival masks as the ones they sell in Venice.

Many of the cruise ships departing in Venice have a masked ball at night. Both men and women wear small masks to cover their faces, eyes and cheekes. The masks of Venice are real pieces of art and you find them in almost every shop. For us it is the most distinct product of this Italian city.

For centuries Venetians were wearing masks for several months a year. They loved disguise themselves. It is hard to imagine how many different kind of masks there are but the pictures give you an idea. We bought two and Kristel tried them on. Now they hang on our living room wall.

Als we over carnaval spreken denken we aan steden zoals Aalst (België), Keulen (Duitsland), Rotterdam (Nederland), Rio de Janeiro (Brazilië), de Carabbien en Venetië (Italië). Waarschijnlijk is het carnaval in Venetië het meest traditionele in de wereld. De maskers van de meeste historisch gemaskerde ballen lijken heel sterk op de exemplaren die in Venetië worden gemaakt en verkocht.

Op de vertrekkende cruise schepen worden er ’s avond dan ook regelmatig een gemaskerd bal georganiseerd. Zowel de mannen en vrouwen verbergen hun gezicht, ogen of kaken achter een elegant masker. Het zijn echte kunstwerken en je kan ze overal kopen. Voor ons is dit een typisch product voor deze Italiaanse stad. 

Eeuwen lang droegen inwoners van Venetië maskers gedurende verschillende maanden per jaar. Ze hielden er gewoon van zich te vermommen en de grote verscheidenheid op de foto’s geven u een idee van de omvang. We kochten er twee en Kristel probeerde ze uit. Nu hangen ze trots aan onze woonkamermuur. 
 
Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Masks of Venice

Previous Venice article: Crossing the Canal Grande over the Rialto Bridge, Venice

Previous Carnival article: The first pictures of summer carnival in Rotterdam, “Zomercarnaval 2013”

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11 comments:

  1. een geweldige serie Philip ! Fijne avond en lieve groeten, Dietmut

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  2. Een heel mooie reeks over de maskers. Kristal staat er geweldig mee!

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  3. oh i loved these masks when I was in Venice and really wanted to buy one, but alas... my luggage would just not accomodate it. These are lovely masks that you bought, and Kristel looks as if she is having fun in this.

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  4. I love the last with leaves! May they bring you both pleasure for decades to come!
    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    =^..^= <3

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  5. those masks are indeed pieces of art.

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  6. Fabulous masks, lots of work in those.

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  7. a tad different than our Mardi Gras masks

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  8. Wonderful masks!
    Kristel would fit well in Venice ... purple hat + mask is better, in my opinion.
    Greetings

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  9. Very nice choice of masks! Your carnivals are the way all carnivals should be, how ever here that is not always the case!

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  10. ...so colourful, so much 'theatre' attached to this carnival. Wonderful photographs

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