Carnevale di Venezia — The Carnival of Venice is a public masquerade party associated with the Catholic calendar, celebrated between 1 to 12th of February. It is not an official holiday. Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) in New Orleans (State of Louisiana) is the equivalent of carnival in the United States.
The Carnival of Venice is not an official holiday, but it is a popular event for visitors to Italy. Some employees, whether of Italian heritage or not, may request vacation time in order to attend. The American equivalent of this event, held around the same time, is Mardi Gras in New Orleans-a major cultural event that can have an even bigger impact in terms of employees requesting time off. Italian American communities in the United States may host masked parades or carnivals in honor of the festivities in Venice, though such events do not tend to impact regular work schedules. They are held on evenings or weekends on the day before Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of Lent.
Modern-day public carnival events tend to be inclusive, and do not generally focus on the Catholic aspect. They are carried out in a spirit of “fun for all.” Any value issues may arise with those who find some carnival activities offensive, including public drinking, loud parties, and general licentiousness.
The Carnevale di Venezia is a major tourist event, with people coming from all over the world to celebrate with Venetians. It is not an official holiday, but a major cultural attraction. From official agencies, to businesses to banks, the city is open to this great influx of visitors. Hotel accommodations must be made months in advance; restaurant reservations at least several weeks in advance.
The Carnevale di Venezia is a public festival in the Italian city of Venice. It is not an official holiday, but a masked community event in which celebrants are disguised. The twelve days leading up to Ash Wednesday in the Catholic calendar are traditionally a period of merrymaking before Lent, which is a month of fasting and penitence. In Venice, Carnevale is a floating, masked party set in a most unusual “theatre”-the palaces, homes, cafes and campi (open-air spaces) of the city. Venice in February has a unique mysteriousness, with cobble-stoned walkways veiled in mist and stray cats watching from the shadows. In the strange and wonderful atmosphere of Carnevale, a parade of boats travels down the Grand Canal-lit by hundreds of tiny candles-transporting guests in extravagant costumes to masquerade balls in the city’s palaces and larger estates. But the majority of revelers take to the street. Anonymous behind their masks, they mingle in status-free anonymity in the great Venetian outdoors, where mimes and musicians perform, ancient games are played, and the sparkle of firecrackers reflects off the lagoon.