Roman Carnival

What was all that commotion about? At the rear end of the bus there was some unusual activity. Such commotion was reserved for  'troubling events' like, when a drunkard or a smelly vagabond entered the bus, or when an unsuspecting tourist was pick pocketed in the notorious 'tourist frequented' buses of 40 and 64. In fact, a pair of youngsters had entered the bus.  The boy had  an elegant medieval moustache etched on his boyish face. The girl was a catwoman, complete with a  foreboding pair of whiskers and a tail.  The tail was the reason of all the commotion. Being 'touched' while travelling in the public bus is quite stressful for many Italians. Without doubt everybody was sympathetic; perhaps the pair had stumbled out from some carnival parade.  Midday and perhaps they ‘resurrecting’ after the late night party.  Whatever the commotion had given way to smiles and talk of the carnival.

 I had completely missed the carnival, not that it is an important appointment in my scheme of things.  The semester exams had gobbled up all my natural interests and had substituted it with all the machinations of studying and preparing.  I had missed the fun even though the city of Rome had marketed the carnival vigorously.  As usual the traffic was in a mess during the days of the carnival.  All the social networking sites were flooded with posts of carnival revellers, enjoying to the hilt during the day and into the night.

  The carnival had its origins in Rome in the Middle ages. But down the years Rome has lost ground for its carnival antics.  In fact Venice has stolen the show. People flock from far and wide just to be part of the carnival of Venice.  The waterlogged city of Venice and its shops are in a perennial carnival mood, selling souvenir masks. There are traditional shops in the meandering alleys of Venice which fashion out exquisite masks round the year.

 The carnivals were designed to brighten the bleak days of February.  These elaborate festivities, patronised by the Popes, slowly grew into a national event capturing the attention of tourists who came just to watch it.  Well, it had a purpose, a preparation for the austere days of the Lent. The elaborately painted masks and the pageantry shows had their origins in the Roman feast of Saturnalia, the period when there was no distinction between the slave and the master.  In fact the carnival was a great leveller too, everybody was the same under the mask.  Pope Paul II Barbo is credited with the present course of the carnival, Via del Corso, the socially upmarket mile long, straightest road in Rome.

  Races added charm to the carnival apart from the costumes, masks and games. Barbary horses,imported from Africa, bred and raised in Rome, marked their starting block at Piazza del Popolo. Spiked metal balls were tied around them instead of riders.  The horses raced through the long straight street, the spiked balls spurring them. Finally they were caught in nets around Piazza Venezia.  This famous race was so popular that Via del Corso derived its name from it.  However the carnivals were not without its mystic charm, often concocted.  Popes banned the carnivals in the later periods.  Even though the city of Rome has tried to revive the tradition, Venice, San Remo and Rio de Janeiro have eclipsed Rome when it comes to carnivals. Well, another  visit to Venice during the carnival won't be a bad idea.