Confetti, canival, and children

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February 12, 2008· Filed Under Life in Italy 

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It’s that time of year again. A time of children, and adults, in costume, and streets paved in small fragments of coloured paper. A time of processions and street fairs. Of cars covered in shaving foam and party string.

Yes, it the, for me, mysterious carnival season.

I don’t know what the appeal of it is, and I’ve never been able to get into to it. I feel no urge to dress up either. I guess you’ve really got to have grown up in Italy to understand and feel what the carnival thing is all about.

It’s all about religion that I do know, and this is possibly why I don’t find carnival much of a curiosity. This is odd, because I’m quite a curious person. My better half is not filled with carnival spirit either.

Indeed, my other half made a rather chilling observation, after having seen a procession which took place in these parts this evening. She said that all those people mindlessly chanting the same thing was frightening. Nope, as you might have gathered, she’s not into religion either, although she rather more direct in its criticism. She believes that it is little more than indoctrination.

Maybe she has a point, but I’m not sure I fully agree, or disagree with her.

I’ve got nothing against those with faith. If it works for them, fine, but please do not try and convert me.

When the time is right, I’ll convert myself.  But it’ll take more than confetti covered streets to win me over.

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4 Responses to “Confetti, canival, and children”

  1. Gege Bau said on February 12th, 2008 10:07 am

    Carnevale’s taken on the same feeling as Holloween in the States - an excuse for parents to drag their little kids around and show off how cute they think they are, and for unruly teens to vandalize private property. Whoever sells those cans of brightly colored plastic string stuff should be drawn and quartered.

    Don’t convert, Alex! Like we say when confronted with bible thumping born agains at the door - No thanks, I was born ok the first time!

  2. AlexR said on February 12th, 2008 1:38 pm

    Hi Gege’,

    ‘Holloween’ - very droll - no typo I’m sure!

    Don’t worry, I won’t convert - as you say (lovely way to put it) I was born OK the first time!

    Regards,

    Alex

  3. Di said on February 12th, 2008 4:37 pm

    I was wondering … have you read Tim Parks book, ‘A Season with Verona’?

    I find myself wondering as I read through it, I wonder what Alex would think of this. I’m loving it. It feels like I’m finally developing a small understanding of football and its mysterious allure.

  4. Man of Roma said on February 12th, 2008 8:11 pm

    It’s all about religion that I do know, and this is possibly why I don’t find carnival much of a curiosity.

    Well, I would say in any case that Carnival is more pagan than Christian, and it is more linked to the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, where some excess was allowed, exactly like in old Carnival, now reduced to almost nothing. I think that Carnival in Rio (another Latin country, not by chance) gives a better idea of the pagan spirit of Carnival, or Madrid everlasting movida ….

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