Carnival Fun Amid Cancellation of Floats, Parades and Festivities

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Carnival is usually a week of revelry, cheer, good food, and, above all crazy fun. In previous years, thousands of Italians would fill the streets while attending colorful parades, wearing costumes, playing pranks on friends, and having a blast. As the popular Italian saying goes, “A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale,” (which translates to “Any prank is accepted at Carnival”).

This year, all Carnival celebrations were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the dazzling parades in Acireale, which claims to host the “Carnevale più bello di Sicilia” (the most beautiful Carnival in Sicily), were postponed.

According to Acireale Commissioner for Tourism Fabio Manciagli, “It was really difficult to plan and organize what would have been an atypical carnival.” Manciagli told the media that he had initially tried to organize scaled-down Carnival festivities for February but later decided to suspend all type of celebrations and rescheduled them to the summer.

“We Sicilians are warm people who love to stay close to each other, and Carnival is an occasion to be together, to laugh and joke. We must be confident that we will soon return to smile, stay together and enjoy the events with happiness without giving up our safety,” said Manciagli.

Walking down the streets and shopping centers of the Catania province during this past week, one couldn’t help but notice children dressed up in their favorite Carnival costume. Sicilian families did not want to give up to this centuries-old fun tradition, so they put on their face masks and came together to celebrate the “craziest time of the year,” even in the difficult time of a global pandemic.

Carnival Tradition

Historians believe that the word Carnevale (Carnival) derives from the Latin words “carne levare” (put meat away). It refers to the period preceding the beginning of Lent, the austere 40 days during which Roman Catholics abstain from eating meat. Throughout the centuries, despite its religious origin, Carnival has become a less religious celebration.

In ancient times, many Carnival-like festivals were held in different cultures. In ancient Greece, floats were used for the yearly celebration in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine, in order to guarantee fertility and successful breeding among the animal stock. Ancient Egyptians celebrated the renewal of life brought about by the yearly flooding of the Nile through a joyful festival held in the springtime.

Ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia to honor the god Saturn in hopes of procuring plentiful harvests. Celebrations included feasting, gift-giving, drunkenness, big meals and pranks. Young boys and girls danced on allegorical floats during masked parades of merrymaking through the streets.

Romans would also burn the effigy of the “king of ancient Saturnalia.” It was a grotesque puppet embodying the feast that was publicly burnt at the end of the celebrations. Today, this practice is still performed in many countries. A straw puppet named the “King of Carnival” is burnt on the evening of Mardi Gras.

Carnival in Acireale and Sciacca

Even though Carnival is usually celebrated throughout Sicily, two towns deserve special attention for their traditions.

North of Catania, Acireale boasts an ancient tradition dating back to the 16th century. In Acireale, Carnival celebrations typically begin at the end of January in the historic center and run through mid-February.

The first written record of Carnival celebrations held in Sicily date back to the 16th century. Sicilians used to celebrate “Carnalivari” (the Sicilian word for Carnival) through dance festivals. Dancers performed shows throughout the streets accompanied by drums and trumpets.

Masked revelers from different social classes used Carnival as an excuse to mingle. The most popular masks included “jardinara,” (gardeners), “briganti” (bandits), “baruni” (barons) and “abbati” (abbots). Aristocrats and politicians were publicly mocked during the festivals. Revelers also staged mock battles, throwing rotten eggs and vegetables at one another. In 1612, local authorities in Acireale forbade these battles because they damaged property and injured people.

By the 18th century, celebrations were less violent and had become comedic plays performed by jokers named “abbatazzi.” Under the Bishop’s authorization, they made fun of nobles or priests and took part in prank competitions.

Celebrations continued to evolve during the 19th century and began to include the “casariata,” a parade of flower-decorated carriages named “landò” that toured the historic center. Local nobles paraded on the carriages wearing masks and throwing coins and colored sugar-coated almonds at the crowd. Today, people throw confetti and spray each other with foam as a popular modern Carnival prank.

In the 1930s, artisans in Acireale began to create huge floats called “carri” that consist of animated papier-mâché figures of politicians, animals and other fantastic subjects mounted on a mobile platform. Throughout the years, Carnival carri have become much more elaborate and spectacular. The parades are usually held throughout the day in the Piazza Duomo and the historic center accompanied by musical and ballet performances.

The town of Sciacca also holds a spectacular Carnival. Just as the ancient Romans burnt the “king of ancient Saturnalia” in effigy, a grotesque puppet that embodies the feast is burnt on the night of Shrove Tuesday.

Sicilian clergyman Mario Ciaccio was the first historian to describe the Carnival of Sciacca in 1890. However, historic sources tell us that the Carnival has been actually celebrated since the 17th century.

Sciacca’s Carnival was originally a celebration of country life with food and wine. Peasants, fishermen and herdsmen with painted faces and funny hats played pranks, exchanged insults, reversed social roles and made political satire. This was called “lu gabbu” (the mockery). Nobody was offended because that was what carnival was all about.

The grand finale for the celebrations was the burning of “lu Nannu” (now known as “Peppi ‘Nnappa”), a straw puppet embodying the spirit of carnival. Bad luck and sins were burned away with the puppet, leaving the town pure and filled with hope for good things to come.

Today, just as in Acireale, the carri are the highlights of the celebrations. Associations of amateur musicians, ceramists, costume designers, poets, craftsmen and decorators begin creating these majestic parading papier-mâché floats after the summer. At the end of every working day around midnight, everyone involved in building a float gathers for the “schiticchio” (dinner among friends).

Although this year’s celebrations have been altered or canceled throughout Sicily, everyone hopes for their return in the near future.

As the cities of Acireale and Sciacca announced the cancellation of this year’s carnival celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sicilians still tried to have a Carnival good time by having their children in costumes and hanging out at malls and strolling along city’ streets. (photo by Dr. Alberto Lunetta)