Italian Carnival Party
This year our traditional Carnival Party is open to everyone, not just Italians. We want to present the Italian Carnival to the wider community, and we can do this thanks to the support of the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester.
Location:
St. Mark's Parish Hall
184 Station Road, Swinton, M27 6BY, Manchester
[View on Google Maps]
Date:
Saturday 5th March 2011.
Time:
2.30pm
Price:
Free, but with ticket only
Availability:
We only have 150 chairs, so hurry up!
We will have a Puppet Show with the traditional Italian Carnival masks such as Arlecchino, Pulcinella, Colombina, followed by tasting of different Italian Carnival sweets. Finally we will have games, songs and a parade to choose the best costume!
The fancy dress is not for the chkldren only, the parents can join in too!
What is the Carnival?
The word Carnevale probably comes from the Latin ‘carnem levare’, an expression used in the middle ages meaning ‘taking out the meat’.
Carnevale is the huge winter festival that is celebrated around Italy with parades, masquerade balls, entertainment, music and parties. Children and adults dress up and parade along the streets, throwing confetti at each other. Mischief and pranks are also common during Carnevale, hence the saying ‘A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale’, anything goes at carnival. Carnevale reaches its peak on Martedì Grasso (also known as Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday), the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Carnevale is one of Italy's biggest festivals and events often last for two to three weeks before the actual carnival day. Many Italian towns celebrate Carnevale all the weekend before Martedì Grasso.
Carnevale has roots in pagan festivals and derives from an ancient roman cult, the Saturnalia, pagan rites of fertility which were celebrated in honour of the god Saturn. People used to go out parading with noisy instruments, eating and drinking wine.
As many pagan traditions, these celebrations were adapted to fit into the Catholic rituals, marking the beginning of the Lent fast, where people were not allowed to eat meat.
Carnival rites celebrate the symbolic victory of the world order over foolishness, and that’s why people only for a few days are allowed to disguise themselves, wear masks and behave unconventionally.
During Carnival many Italian towns have special events and public parades, like in Venice and Viareggio to mention only two.
The main Carnival masks
In the 16th Century Commedia dell’Arte (Italian Comedy), a form of theatre based on improvisation, created characters such as the comic servant, the well spoken doctor, the old and rich man flirting with young girls, etc. These humorous theatrical pieces were performed by professional actors who travelled throughout Italy. The plays were performed on temporary stages with music, dance and witty dialogue. Each theatre company had a repertoir of stock conventional situations, revolving around jealousy, love, adultery and old age.
Arlecchino is one of the most popular masks of Commedia dell’Arte; he is a Venetian comic servant, very intelligent but lazy. He often tries to trick his masters, but usually fails. He wears a suit made of multi-coloured patches, a belt and slapstick. His girlfriend and counterpart is Colombina, the only well known female character. She is a lively and cunning servant, very fond of her lady, Rosaura. Colombina and Arlecchino are from Venice.
Pulcinella is the main Neapolitan character; dressed in white with a black mask, he has a very long nose and a hunchback. He is a chatterbox, insolent and lazy. His main ambitions are eating and drinking. Even if he always beats and gets beaten with his stick, he is a nice person, a good singer, a little bit selfish. The Punch and Judy puppet shows, popular to this day in England, owe their basis to Pulcinella.
Other characters are Brighella - a mischievous servant from Bergamo; Pantalone – a Venetian merchant, old and rich; Doctor Balanzone – associated with Bologna, Gianduia from Turin, Meneghino from Milan and Rugantino from Rome.
Let's learn some Carnival songs!
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LA CANZONE DI PULCINELLA
Io mi chiamo Pulcinella
ed ho inventato la mozzarella!
Da questa parte signori e signore
son Pulcinella il grande inventore!
Evviva, evviva, Pulcinella, pereppepé
Evviva, evviva, Pulcinella, pereppepé
Evviva, evviva, Pulcinella, pereppepé
Evviva, evviva Pulcinella
Per consolare i poveretti
ho inventato gli spaghetti.
Per rallegrare un po’ la vita
creai la pizza Margherita!
Evviva, evviva, Pulcinella, pereppepé
Evviva, evviva, Pulcinella, pereppepé
Evviva, evviva, Pulcinella, pereppepé
Evviva, evviva Pulcinella
LA TARANTELLA DELLE MASCHERINE
Tarantella in allegria
La tristezza mandala via
Noi portiamo tanta gioia
Che è nemica della noia
Un saluto a tutti voi,
indovina chi siamo noi
Furbe, vispe e birichine
Siamo belle mascherine
Tarantella in allegria
La tristezza mandala via
Noi portiamo tanta gioia
Che è nemica della noia
Ecco qui c’è Colombina
La più bella la più carina
E Brighella in processione
sotto braccio a Pantalone
C’è Pulcinella che è un grande imbroglione
e si diverte a fare il burlone
Insieme a lui il signor Arlecchino
a tutti quanti fa sempre un inchino.
Ecco con noi il dottor Balanzone
da tutti quanti vuole attenzione
E se qualcuno non vuole ascoltare
resti con noi e si metta a cantare
Un saluto a tutti voi,
indovina chi siamo noi
Furbe, vispe e birichine
Siamo belle mascherine
Tarantella in allegria
La tristezza mandala via
Noi portiamo tanta gioia
Che è nemica della noia
C’è Pulcinella che è un grande imbroglione
e si diverte a fare il burlone
Insieme a lui il signor Arlecchino
a tutti quanti fa sempre un inchino.
Ecco con noi il dottor Balanzone
da tutti quanti vuole attenzione
E se qualcuno non vuole ascoltare
resti con noi e si metta a cantare
Tarantella in allegria
La tristezza mandala via
Noi portiamo tanta gioia
Che è nemica della noia
Italian Carnival Puppet Show, 2011 .
Carnival Worksheet
Wordsearch, crossword and colouring fun! Download PDF
Italian Carnival Sweets
What is Carnival after all, other than the excess and the transgression before penance? And the most practiced and desired transgression was of course related to the abundance of food. The gastronomy of Carnival was then rich fats and sweets, gnocchi and tortelli being the most traditional dishes in most regions of Italy.
Nowadays many traditions have vanished and changed, but fried pastries are still the centre of the Fat Tuesday cookery. Spoonful’s of dough fried in oil take the shape of small balls in Frittelle (fritters) or Castagnole.
However, the most famous dish is ribbons of sweet pasta fried and covered with sugar or honey, which take many different names all throughout Italy. These fritters are familiar all over Italy, where they assume many different names— Frappe, Sfrappole, Cenci, Crostoli, Lattughe, Nastri, Bugie, etc. Is there any other dish with so many names?
Carnival Chiacchere
the recipe
Ingredients (serves six people)
- 500 g plain flour
4 eggs
100 g sugar
50 g butter or olive oil
Half glass dry white wine
4 tbsp rum or other liqueur
A pinch of salt
Icing sugar
Vegetable oil for frying
Preparation
Place flour in a bowl and stir in the sugar. Slowly work in the butter and the eggs followed by the white wine. Kneed until the dough becomes soft and pliable. If it feels too sticky to the touch add a little more flour. Dust a work surface with a little flour. Roll out the dough and make a thin sheet (not higher that a couple millimetres) and cut different silhouettes (squares, strips, fan shapes).
Heat oil, and when good and hot, fry the chiacchere in small batches. When they are golden brown all over, remove from oil and drain well on kitchen paper. Before serving dust with icing sugar.
Carnival Castagnole:
the recipe
Ingredients (serves six people)
- 600 g self raising flour
4 eggs
200 g sugar
150 g butter
4 tbsp rum
Icing sugar
Vegetable oil for frying
Preparation
Melt the butter very slowly and let it cool. In a bowl mix well eggs and sugar, then add rum and the melted butter. Finally add the sieved flour. Kneed well until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
Cutting one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough to form 2cm thick cylinders. Cut the cylinders in pieces the size of a large cherry and roll them between your hands to form little balls. Heat oil, and when the temperature reaches between 160c and 170c starts frying the castagnole, till golden brown and puffed up. Drain well on kitchen paper and let them cool slightly. Before serving dust with icing sugar.
Grateful thanks to:
