Since it’s almost time, I decided to write about the Italian Carnival. Its origins are linked to Catholicism, and it is usually celebrated about six weeks before Easter.

The word Carnival comes from the Latin term “carnem levare”, meaning that people should stop eating meat for 40 days before Easter. This year, the last day of Carnival, “Mardì Gras”, will be on the 12th of February. Aside from its religious meaning, Carnival is a great occasion to have fun; it is a holiday for children who often wear masks, but also for adults. In Italy there are two major places where celebrations take place: Venice and Viareggio’s.

Venice Carnival is one of the most famous Carnivals in the world. Every year, lots of tourists arrive in Venice to take part in the event, and to have a chance to attend one of the many masquerade balls or parade in Piazza San Marco. The feature moment of these celebrations is the “flight of the Angel” which sees girl, tied to a cable, jump from the bell tower. Viareggio Carnival is known for the large parade of floats surrounded by masked people.

During the Carnivals, as is custom in Italy, there is food – lots of food! Some of the food includes Cicerchiata, typical Italian dish from the centre of Italy – made using honey. Chiacchiere which is a kind of fritter, covered in sugar and often eaten with Sanguinaccio, an Italian chocolate. And finally Tortelli, a special pasta filled with jam or dried fruit.

Yummy uh?!