It’s believed the origins of Carnevale date back to the 1,200’s in early Roman times. Of course, the Carnival of Venice is probably one of the most famous celebrations. Not just in Venice, all of Italy dresses up this month in incredible costumes and masks to celebrate during the 40 days before Easter. The word Carnevale is derived from the latin “carnem levare” which means “take away the meat” and refers to the day before the Christian period of Lent when people abstained from eating meat.

The jester is a common Carneval character and to celebrate February and Carnevale, I want to share a few of my jester characters. You can learn how to make these delightful busts in my e-class available at AforArtistic. Over the years I’ve made quite a few of these, but I’ve also explored some of the characters from Commedia dell’arte theatre, in particular the characters of Columbina and Pedrolino. Columbina, a maidservant, was often paired in love matches with Arlecchino (Harlequin) a mischievous character who was a little dim and always hungry and desperately in love.

The biggest and most exciting day of Carnivale is Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. This year it lands on February 21st. I hope you’ll take some time to celebrate and as they say in New Orleans . . .

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

If you would like to learn how to make a jester bust, check out my e-class at AforArtistic. https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/680430769/e-class-carnival-time-in-venice-bust-by?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=aforartistic&ref=sr_gallery-6-10&organic_search_click=1

or check out all my classes at http://www.saracinoartstudio.com