Venice Carnival is a centuries old tradition and one of the world’s most famous carnivals. Venice Carnival is also becoming our own tradition; we just attended for the fourth year running. I’ve written previously about the history of Carnevale di Venezia, Carnevale events affordable for everyone like a Giro d’ombra pub crawl, and what it’s like to masquerade. But it’s the masks, the quintessential feature, that makes the Venice Carnival unique from Italy’s other famous carnivals.
The tradition of the mask started in the 13th century when Venetians would hold celebrations and parties from December 26th until the start of Lent and wear elaborate masks to conceal their identity. These parties were the only time when the lower and upper classes mingled together. Aristocrats and peasants, disguised by their masks, played out their fantasies together. They indulged in illicit activities like gambling, clandestine affairs, political assassination, and dancing and partying the night away.
Early Venetian masks were quite simple, and after Venice Carnival was abolished for nearly two centuries, served a very practical purpose. Women were not allowed to go to the theater without wearing a bauta to cover their faces. Nowadays, Venetian masks are a much more elaborate affair. They are made with the application of gesso, a white paint mixture, and gold leaf and are all hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate. There are a few typically Venetian masks:
Bauta
Considered to be the traditional Venetian mask, bauta comes from the German “behüten“, meaning to protect. It is always white and used to mostly cover the facial features. It is always worn with the black hat with three tips (tricorno).
Moretta
Invented in France, the moretta mask was quickly adopted by Venetian women because of the way it accentuated their feminine features. The moretta mask was actually first worn by women visiting convents and secured by clenching a button between their teeth. This ensured their vow of silence in the convent. Modern moretta masks are much more comfortable and simply tie on.
Volto
The volto mask is also called the larva mask, meaning ghost-like appearance. It was quite comfortable to wear and allowed the wearer to eat and drink easily. It was worn by men with a black cloak and the black tricorno hat.
Columbina
One of the first actresses in the Commedia dell’arte felt her face was much to beautiful to cover completely, and so instead wore a half-mask especially designed for her. The mask type quickly became popular and nowadays is highly decorated with gold, silver, crystal, and feathers.
Medico della Peste (Plague Doctor)
The birdlike mask actually was not worn by carnival goers; instead it originated in the 17th century by French physician Charles de Lorme and was worn by plague doctors to protect them from airborne diseases. Carnival goers eventually started wearing a decorated version as a memento mori, a rememberanceof their mortality.
Which type of mask would you chose to wear to Carnevale di Venezia?
Jennifer Dombrowski
Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+
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We’re Jennifer and Tim and we love traveling! We are just one ordinary couple who have found that travel brought us closer together, taught us patience, the art of compromise, and how to truly appreciate the diversity of this extraordinary world. So far, we've visited 37 countries, lived in the United States and Italy, and Tim has lived in Korea. And we do it all while both holding down full time jobs. 
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Teresa Roberts
February 4, 2013 at 1:42 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Amazing festivities and mind-blowing costumes to boot. I have seen my fair share of festivals, including Semana Santa in Spain and Guatemala, patron saint day in San Miguel de Allende and more. Such fun!
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Andi Perullo de Ledesma
February 4, 2013 at 3:20 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
They are just soooo gorgeous!
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Jdomb's Travels Reply:
February 5th, 2013 at 10:28 am
Seeing the costumes and elaborate masks is my favorite part of Carnevale!
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Andrew
February 4, 2013 at 9:00 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Neat. I didn’t realize they all had names. We went to Carnevale last year. It is a sight to see, but SO many people.
Andrew recently posted..Searching for my Missing Creativity and Dealing with Exhaustion
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 5th, 2013 at 2:01 am
Yes, Carnevale is packed and can feel like you are being herded like cattle. But it’s worth it to deal with the crowd once per year to see the striking costumes!
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Leyla Giray Alyanak
February 4, 2013 at 9:24 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
What a great story, fascinating! Funny I was just yesterday looking at a painting of one of those bird masks designed to keep away the plague… and the photos – wonderful!
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Jdomb's Travels Reply:
February 5th, 2013 at 10:27 am
Thanks, Leyla! We've written about the history of Carnevale itself before (twice) so we thought it would be interesting to write about the masks. They are such an integral part of Carnevale and not many people know the significance of the masks.
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D.J. - The World of Deej
February 6, 2013 at 10:15 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Cool story J…I’ve always wanted to go to a masquerade party:)
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..Traveler’s Confession – The Eiffel Tower is Ugly
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Andrea
February 7, 2013 at 1:35 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
These are so incredible! I love noticing all the differences between all the different carnivals around the world
Andrea recently posted..A Walk In the West Village
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 9:06 pm
I would love to attend some more carnivals around the world! Have you been to any?
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Dustin Main - Skinny Backpacker
February 8, 2013 at 12:31 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I dig the pics, particularly the first two. Would have been a blast to shoot.
Thanks for the back stories as well. Mask culture has always been fascinating to me.
Dustin Main – Skinny Backpacker recently posted..As the Monks Gather – Chiang Mai – Thailand
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 9th, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Carnevale is a lot of fun trying to guess who might be behind the mask! I’d love to attend more carnivals around the world.
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Booking Hotel in
February 10, 2013 at 9:26 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Very authentic and original post.Makes you feel hungry for a journey!
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Angela
February 14, 2013 at 11:43 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Such a fascinating post!
Angela recently posted..Learning Thai cuisine at Da’s organic farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 14th, 2013 at 3:33 pm
Thanks, Angela! I’m glad that you enjoyed a bit of the history behind Carnevale masks.
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