Sharing Our Heritage...our Traditional Carnival

Venice Carnival Grand Opening 2019

The students of Naples invited their Greek classmates to watch the video and look for some traditional Italian masks or costumes.
The Greek pupils found this information and typed...

1) Colombina: she is another Venetian mask of the ”Commedia dell’Arte”. She is a servant, Arlecchino’s wife, and often becomes the focus of her master Pantalone’s attentions. She doesn’t wear a mask, she wears a headset and a blue and white striped dress, a white apron and red stockings.

2) Arlecchino: one of the most popular Italian masks, is native to Bergamo, in the Region of Lombardy. Arlecchino is a character of the “Commedia dell’Arte”, and has been inspired by a farmer on one hand, and by the French medieval devil Hellequin on the other. Legend has it, however, that Arlecchino is so poor that his friends during Carnival usually give him pieces of their costumes: this is the reason why he has a colorful dress.

3) Rugantino: he is a character in the popular Roman theater, and his name comes from the dialect word “ruganza” (arrogance). He is young, arrogant and provocative, and is dressed as a policeman even though it is actually the bandits leader.

4) Pulcinella: the mask of Pulcinella, officially created by the actor Silvio Fiorillo in the Sixteenth century, was inspired by Maccus, a servant of the “Antellanae” a popular show in the Ancient Rome. Maccus had a big nose and a wide white shirt. Pulcinella is the symbol of opposites coexistence: he is both a liar and altruist, lazy and ready for anything to satisfy his constant hunger, he is a poor servant and also a fighter

5) Beppe Nappa: A man wearing a hat, a hairband, and a jacket with large buttons and, as it seems, an excessively long sleeve dances with one hand to his hip. Peppe Nappa is a Sicilian character in the commedia dell’arte, similar to Giglio, or the French Pierrot. He is often portrayed as a lively and nimble manservant.

Arlecchino made by the Greek pupils

Colombina's mask made by the Greek pupils

The students of Veria invited the Italian classmates to find information about this old tradition:

1) Genitsari: a military body of Ottomans

Only men take part, their number was 6-12, but today they are more. They wear specific costumes that they prepare long ago, with gold on top and certainly the masks. With the accompaniment of musical instruments, they pass from home to house and gather Boules and Genitsarous. Then they gather in the village square and dance. As long as they wear the masks, no one else can dance with them. But when they put them away, the rest of the people is dancing. The feast lasts for two days.

2) Boules: brides

The Italian pupils typed these information:
The custom has its roots in antiquity and is associated with the brilliant Dionysian ceremonies. It refers to the marriage of God Dionysus and the two female figures are the goddess Demetra and the goddess Persephone.

During the Ottoman rule, the inhabitants of the area used this custom for their struggle against the Turks. They were put these masks on their face and were disguised as "Genitsari" in order to attack the Turks.
This custom today is well known and people come from all over Greece to watch it.