Venice Carnival masks turn the city into a theatre every year before Lent, the Christian period of fasting before Easter. The word “carnival” probably comes from an old Latin phrase linked to giving up meat before Lent. Before the fasting started, the city let people celebrate, eat rich food and hide their faces.
This page may contain affiliate links.
Venice Carnival masks in the days of the Republic
In the days of the Republic, people wore masks at Carnival and on some other occasions. They also wore them in the street, in theatres and at gambling tables. The authorities changed the rules several times, and in some periods they limited when and where people could wear a mask.
A mask could reduce the visible differences between social classes, so a nobleman and a shopkeeper could mix more easily. One of the city’s rules banned carrying weapons while wearing a disguise.
Three classic Venice Carnival masks
The bauta is a white mask with a strong chin. The shape of its lower part leaves enough space to eat and drink. People often wore it with a black cloak and a three-cornered hat.
The moretta is a small oval mask of black velvet that women wore. The wearer held a button between her teeth to keep it in place, so she could not speak.
The volto, also called larva, is a plain white mask that covers the whole face. Names and shapes changed over time, so the same word did not always describe exactly the same mask.
The plague doctor mask
The plague doctor mask, with its long beak, is linked to doctors who treated plague patients in the 17th century. Doctors filled the beak with herbs and other strong-smelling substances because they believed bad air spread disease. These substances did not protect them from the plague.
The mask makers
Venice officially recognised the mask makers, known as mascareri, in the 15th century. In 1436, the city set rules for their trade. They made masks from papier-mâché, called cartapesta in Italian, then painted and decorated them by hand. Some Venetian workshops still use these methods today.
Fading and return
Carnival declined after 1797, when the Republic of Venice fell and foreign rulers took control of the city. Some smaller celebrations continued. In 1979, Venice brought back Carnival as a large public festival. Since then, the programme has included parades, concerts and costume events in St Mark’s Square.
What people eat
Two sweet foods belong to the season. Frittelle are soft fried balls of dough, often with raisins and pine nuts, or with cream. Galani are thin, crisp strips of fried pastry covered with powdered sugar. Pastry shops start to sell them well before the Carnival days begin.