Carnival 2014: Postlude and Links

POSTLUDE

This is the conclusion of my eight-part narrative on Carnival (please avail yourself of the links to previous portions placed conveniently for you at the bottom of this post). At the end of this brief series, I am content to have shared a bit of my perspective on Carnival with interested readers. By now all the fellas should know better than to wear their favorite ties to work on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, for fear that some frisky gals will snip the ties in half, steal a few kisses, and hang the tie remnants in their trophy cases.

You're welcome!

But I am also humbled by how much I do not know about this wonderful world of ours, and the many interesting traditions such as Carnival observed around the world. For example, only after I set out to write this little memoir did I learn of the Carnival of Binche. Have you heard of it? Did you know that in 2003, Belgium's Carnaval de Binche was designated a UNESCO masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage? Even if you are not a Christian of European descent, the Carnaval de Binche is "kind of a big deal."

Some of the 1000 Gilles of Binche wearing their unique and historical Shrove Tuesday costumes

What is a Gille, you ask? (Go ahead, ask, I'll wait.) The Gilles are the principle costumed participants in the 700-year old Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 a.m. until late hours and dance to traditional songs. 

Here's what Wiki has to say about the Gilles of the Carnival of Binche:

"There are around 1000 Gilles, all male, some as young as 3 years old. All wear the traditional costume of the Gille on Shrove Tuesday. The outfit features a linen suit with red, yellow and black heraldic designs (the colours of the Belgian flag), trimmed with large white lace cuffs and collars. The suit is stuffed with straw, giving the Gille a hunched back. They also wear wooden clogs and have bells attached to their belts. In the morning they wear a mask of a particular design. After reaching the town hall, they remove these masks — they are not worn in the afternoon. During the afternoon parade, they throw blood oranges to (and sometimes at) the crowd and some of the Gilles wear large, white, feathered hats. They carry ramons, tied bunches of twigs, and baskets in which to carry the oranges. Their sticks are said to ward off evil spirits." --Wikipedia

The gap between what I have seen and all that is left to experience fills me with wonder and a lust for adventure. (Wanderlust?) I hope readers find some inspiration in the memories and plans I have shared.

Before offering you some wonderfully amusing links, I'll conclude with these simple observations:

• What makes Mardi Gras, Carnival of Binche, Fasching, Carnaval, Fastan, Fastelavn, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, etc., different depends on where you are from or where you happen to live. Whether and how you celebrate Carnival is largely an accident of birth! 
• So, what is it about Carnival that compels people around the world to celebrate it? What is the common link connecting the various versions? Perhaps our shared humanity is what unites us once a year, as words such as these are heard 'round the world....

New Orleans: "Let the good times roll!"

or Laissez les bons temps rouler!

(sounds like, Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay!)

Venice: "A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale!"

Anything goes at Carnival!
a scherzo (SKAIR-zoh) is a practical joke

Mainz: "Helau! Helau!"
(sounds like, Hello! Hello!)

originated from a burlesque ("Fastnachtsspiel") played in Düsseldorf in 1833

Alexandria: "Pass the donuts! Or doughnuts? Or Kinklings, Pączki, or Fasnachts!?"

Rio de Janeiro: "Todo bem!"

Daytona Beach: "Gentlemen (and ladies!), start your engines!"

Here are some selected LINKS to fuel your own PRE-LENTEN ADVENTURES next year!

10 Vocabulary Words to Learn

1. Carnival: Carne (meat or flesh) Vale (farewell)
2. Shrove: Shriving is the act of confessing sins
3. Mardi, Martedi, and Dienstag all mean Tuesday
4. Gras and Grasso mean Fat
5. Rosenmontag is not about roses but raves
6. Krewe, as in, Krewe of Bacchus
7. Gilles: costumed participants in the 700-year old Carnival of Binche in Belgium
8. UNESCO: the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 
9. Wanderlust: a passion for travel
10. Samba: a Brazilian dance of African origin.

10 Celebrations to Enjoy

1. Mardi Gras in New Orleans 
2. Martedi Grasso at Carnevale (Venice)
3. Karnival (Northern and Western Germany)
4. Fasching (Eastern and Southern Germany)
5. Carnaval (Brazil)
6. Carnival of Binche (Belgium)
7. Fastan
8. Fastelavn (Denmark, Norway, Iceland)
9. Pancake Tuesday
10. Shrove Tuesday

10 Locations to Visit

1. New Orleans French Quarter
2. Venice St. Mark's Square
3. Rhineland-Palatinate 
4. Mainz. Germany
5. Old Town Alexandria, the most Romantic Place on Earth
6. Sao Paolo
7. Rio de Janeiro
8. Copacabana Beach
9. Ipanema Beach 
10. Daytona Beach

10 Foods to Eat and Drinks to Imbibe

1. German Fasnacht_(doughnut) 
2. Polish Paczki  
3. French King Cake 
4. Hurricane Punch  
5. Frittelle di carnevale, aka zeppole 
6. Venetian Carnival Fritters aka frappe 
7. Castagnole 
8. Beignets
9. Chickory coffee
10. Andygator, the Imperial Pilsner from Louisiana's own Abita Brewing

10 Tangents to Explore

1. Daytona Bike Week (pre-Lenten debauchery in years where Easter comes really, really late)
2. Notre Dame Architecture Beaux Arts Ball
3. Trophy case for displaying ties cut off during carnival 
4. Get Mardi Gras beads without flashing for them
5. Fantastic Masquerade Ball costume ideas 
6. Why do people eat pancakes for Shrove Tuesday? 
7. How to eat pancakes, celebrate Fat Tuesday, and help the less fortunate in one fell swoop 
8. How to order your own, high quality Doubloons 
9. Why do some women flash for beads? 
10. Tab Benoit, American Delta blues artist from Baton Rouge 

The Gilles of Binche Await You 

Previous seven links in this 8-part series

1. Carnival Prelude
2. Carnival 1981: New Orleans
3. Carnival 1982: Italy
4. Carnival 1997: Germany
5. Carnival 2014: Alexandria and environs
6. Carnival 2016: Brazil
7. Carnival 2030: Daytona

"If your life were a movie, would anyone watch?"

Carnival 2016: Brazil

This is the sixth installment in an 8-part series on Carnival, the biggest party in the world

Dateline (proposed): Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 9, 2016

While I have not yet been to Brazil, I do look forward to my first visit! There are many compelling reasons for visiting this vast country:

• For one thing, I'd love to explore the Amazon river. Jaguars and piranha and Amazonite gems, oh my! This trip would take some special preparation.  I would be sure to bring along my Amazon Warrior Princess girlfriend.
• Of course I could attend the FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2014. After all, I have developed a love of soccer from watching my daughter play at a high level. And if I brought her along, well, we'd both have a blast!  
• Another opportunity would be the Summer Olympics, which are coming to Brazil in the summer of 2016. I attended the 1988 Games in Seoul, and truly enjoyed them. Global sporting events are fantastic for bringing the International community together. 
• And then, there is Carnival. Attracting millions of visitors, Carnival is another huge draw. Vibrant and vivacious, sexy and sultry, flashy and fleshy, the Brazilians really put the carnal in Carnival.

To my way of thinking, there is no reason not to make several trips to Brazil, but if I had to choose only one, I would pick Carnival. In fact, Carnival in 2016 would be a great time to head south of the equator--not only to catch a preview of Olympic venues, and not only to avoid the Presidential election campaigning which will drown out all other discourse in the USA, but also to observe and participate in Carnaval (Portuguese spelling) on the beaches between Rio and Sao Paulo during what will be summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

The famous Copacabana Beach is one of many beautiful
beaches between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Carnival in Brazil sets the flesh-flash standard for all Carnival pre-Lenten celebrations worldwide. Originally, Carnival was a pagan custom celebrating the arrival of spring (Northern Hemisphere). However, early Christian culture was loath to relinquish the popular festival and instead incorporated it into their religious traditions. As French, Spanish, and Portuguese explorers colonized the New World, they also implanted their religious traditions. In Brazil, where Carnival occurs at the end of summer, the ties to pagan rites of Spring are rendered meaningless. At the same time, the aspects of Carnival as pre-Lenten fling seem amplified.

Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten season. During Lent, Christians prepare for Easter Sunday by fasting or foregoing favorite foods and activities (the requirements vary for different Christian denominations). Brazil Carnival begins four days before Ash Wednesday. Brazil Carnival--Saturday through Tuesday--is a great way to cut loose and enjoy life before the restrictions of Lent are imposed.

Carnival in Brazil is sultry and seductive

Every Brazilian city chooses its own celebratory traditions such as masquerades, parades, feasts, social gatherings, and dancing. Brazil Carnival is famous for the sexy, rhythmic samba and rumba music and dance forms, and the Rio Carnival pictures and Sao Paulo carnival photos show plenty of scantily clad carnival girls. A more family-friendly carnival occurs in Olinda, which takes place in the daytime and at venues all over the city, as opposed to night time in roped-off party zones more common in Rio and Sao Paulo.

Carnival Girls dance in the streets

Brazil Carnival has many parades, but the most elaborate are specifically designed to showcase plot-driven, themed samba school performances. To fully appreciate the complexity and artistry of the performances, it is helpful to understand the origins of the dance and even partake in samba lessons. You can get a pretty good idea for the samba in this 4 minute video by Tania Amthor.





Brazil Carnival performance participants delve into their roles with the help of colorful and elaborate costumes. Ateliers work up to eight months in advance, making the costumes by hand. Bright parrot colors, feathers, beads, satins and sequins are typical materials used in Brazil Carnival costumes.

Carnival Costumes are Colorful and Ornate. 

Rio Carnival parades occur throughout the city, from Copacabana Beach to city streets. It's the Carnival Brazil floats and the glittering costumes of the samba dancers that are the most photogenic.

Tudo Bem? Is everything OK?

With the samba music pounding and everyone dancing around you, it might be quite difficult to pick up some of the phrases that are said during Carnaval. The Brazilian people tend to be incredibly proud of both their country and their Carnaval. If you are asked what you think of place then you could simply say “legal” which means "fine" but what if you really want to get across how much you have fallen in love with such a beautiful and fun loving country? Just say, "O Brasil é lindo maravilhoso!" This is a phrase which lets them know that you think that the country is wonderfully marvelous, and after just a short stay there, you are bound to mean it when you say it.

"Tudo bem" is a catch-all phrase you can use if you bump into someone while you are dancing, get introduced to a stranger, or simply want to be friendly to anyone. In English it means “Is everything ok?,” but it can also mean “How are you?” in a general sense. If you don’t learn a lot of Portuguese then you are going to say this a lot while you are in Brazil.

As I write this post on Fat Tuesday +4, it's fair to point out that the sanitation workers in Rio are still on strike, refusing to clear the post-party refuse. Carnaval began with parades and parties in the roped off zones of Rio on Friday, February 28th. By Wednesday morning, the city was more than slightly smelly. More on that story is here: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/03/rios-smelly-carnival/8588/

I feel I MUST attend Caraval at least once in my life!

Tudo Bem!

Carnival 2014: Alexandria and Environs

This is the fifth installment of an 8-part series on Carnival, the Fifth Season--and the biggest party on the planet!

Dateline: ALEXANDRIA, March 4, 2014

I make my home in the northern Virginia city of Alexandria, and I know better than to wear my favorite tie to work on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. And so do you, if you have been reading along. Welcome to the latest in a series of posts on Mardi Gras, past, present, and future--from Nebraska to New Orleans to Rome to Mainz and now here at home.

On the morning of Fat Tuesday, the Pat O'Brien's
hurricane glass is empty, the Cafe du Monde
coffee cup is full, and there's nary a bead in sight.

Last year, I found the baby in the King Cake at the Alexandria Brew Crew's Mardi Gras party, so that means I must provide this year's treats.

New Orleans-style King Cake

Speaking of Fat Tuesday treats, my Harley-riding girlfriend is Pennsylvania Dutch, and she recently educated me about Fasnachts and Fasnacht Day. A Fasnacht is a fried doughnut served traditionally in the days of Carnival / Fastnacht or on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent starts. Fasnachts are made as a way to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat, and butter, which are traditionally fasted from during Lent.

The Pennsylvania Dutch in the area surrounding Lancaster, Pennsylvania, celebrate Fastnacht (the holiday) with fasnachts (the donuts). The central Pennsylvania church featured in this PennLive article makes tens of thousands donuts each Fasnacht Day. Most chain supermarkets in eastern Pennsylvania offer fasnachts, although a few offer Polish Pączki  (Pooch-key) instead. Commonly, pączki are round, rather than having straight sides, and they are filled with jelly, or sometimes creme filling. In parts of Maryland, the treats are called Kinklings, and are only sold in bakeries on Shrove Tuesday. The German version is made from a yeast dough, deep fried, and coated or dusted in sugar or cinnamon sugar; they may be plain or filled with fruit jam. In contrast, Pennsylvania Dutch fasnachts can often be potato doughnuts, and may be uncoated, dusted with table sugar, or powdered with confectioner's sugar.

Doughnut? Or Donut? Kinkling, Pączki, or Fasnacht? It seems there are as many ways to get fat as there are fat pills. Fasnacht (the donut) is sometimes spelled Fastnacht (the German holiday), Faschnacht (similar to Fasching), Fosnot, Fosnaught, Fausnaught, Fasnacht, Fassenacht, Fasnet, etc. You get the picture: fun comes in many forms.

Naturally our Donut Day party included a variety of locally made treats based on Old World traditions. We started late, after 8, because eating, drinking, and merry making is especially sinful late at night. And we went after it pretty hard, because passion fuels greatness.

By nightfall, the hurricane glasses were full, the coffee
was gone, beads were plentiful, and the infant King appeared

Our Fasnacht Day / Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday menu:

• Del Ray Pizzeria Butcher Block pizza (5 meats), 
• hot Krispy Kreme donuts, 
• Pączki (one with a hidden baby Jesus and guess what? I was the lucky finder again this year!), 
• ice cream sandwiches with homemade chocolate chip cookies and homemade chocolate ice cream,
• hurricane punch, and 
• beads. Lots and lots of purple, green, and gold beads. 

Music? Think, "Big Easy": jazz, brass, zydeco, Cajun, Creole, and a bit of blues

• Roy "Professor Longhair" Byrd 
• Preservation Hall Jazz Band
• Tom Waits
• Jelly Roll Morton
• The inimitable Dr. John
• Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five
• Fats Domino
• The White Stripes
• Tab Benoit
• Sidney Bechet
• Wynton Marsalis and
• The Animals, singing House of the Rising Sun

Participating in the biggest party on the planet

Now that we have gotten all of that partying out of our systems and cleaned our pantries of such guilty pleasures as sugar, butter, and lard, we can turn our solemn attention to our mortality, to the dust from which we came and to which we shall return, and to the hope we have in our risen Savior.

The baby King symbolically rising
from a miniature Hurricane glass

On to EASTER!


PS--The Carnival season is called Fastnacht in southern Germany, Switzerland, Alsace and Austria. The word Fastnacht originates from the German words "fast", which is the shortened version of the verb "fasten", which means "to fast", and "Nacht", meaning night, indicating the eve of the traditional Lenten fasting period observed by many Christian denominations.

PSS--there are three more installments planned in this series on Carnival. Watch this space for posts about Carnivals of the Future! 

Carnival 1982: Italy

This is the third part of an 8-part series about Carnival 

Dateline: ITALY, February 23, 1982

The word Carnival is of Christian origin. Since the Middle Ages, Carnival has referred to a period following the Christmas Season (Advent plus Epiphany) that reached its climax before midnight on Shrove Tuesday. There is no evidence that Carnival existed much before 1200, but it was certainly a popular festival in Italy long before Columbus set sail for the New World.

As a Notre Dame architecture student, I lived in Rome during my junior year of college (1981-'82). In Italy, the premier Carnival celebration takes place in Venice's Saint Mark's Square.  There, Carnival is spelled Carnevale and the pageantry is spelled che elegante! 

This photo captures the splendor of Carnevale di Venezia

I did visit Venice during that year and have been back since, but so far I have yet to see Venice during Carnevale. I will have to let photos such as the one above (and many others HERE) convey the pageantry and sheer elegance of St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) in all its regal, pre-Lenten glory.

Someday...

Meanwhile, the Architecture students have an annual costume ball modeled after the one originally held in the Ecole de Beaux Arts or School of Fine Art in Paris. As I mentioned. I have not yet been to Venice during Carnivale, but I was in Rome with fellow Arkies, and we did manage to have some fun!

This photo is more like my own experience of Carnevale di Roma

Naturally, being Notre Dame and all, we took our fun very seriously. Though we had only a student's budget, we compensated for our lack of resources with a student's enthusiasm and zeal. Naturally, being Notre Dame and all, we did also manage to take the season of Lent as seriously as we took the party preceding those restrictions.


As the Italians say, "A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale," or, anything goes at Carnival.

Carnival 1981: New Orleans

This is the second part of an 8-part series about Carnival 

Dateline: NEW ORLEANS, March 3, 1981

In the United States, mention "Mardi Gras," and the first city that pops to mind is New Orleans. Fittingly, my personal story of Carnival also begins in this fabled town. Bourbon Street revelry. Parades down St Charles Ave. Hurricane daiquiris at Pat O'Brien's. Chicory coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde. And beads. And doubloons. Lots and lots of beads and doubloons. What people will do to earn these trinkets is the stuff of legend.

Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday of course begins the solemn, 40-day long season of Lent culminating in remembering Christ's crucifixion and celebrating his resurrection on Easter. (Well actually, it's 46 days, but how one counts the days of Lent is the subject of a different post.)

A float is seen in the parade down St. Charles Avenue

I first experienced Mardi Gras as a cadet in the Army ROTC Drill Team in 1981. By day, we competed against other schools' drill teams, put on demonstrations for the public, and marched in parades like Endymion, Isis, and Apollo. By night, we attempted to pack as much of the intoxicating sights and sounds as possible, before curfew--complete with bed check.

Scene on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras

I was out of the country in 1982, but I did return with the Notre Dame Army ROTC Drill Team to Mardi Gras in 1983. I've also been back for the Sugar Bowl to watch Notre Dame disappoint Steve Spurrier's  favored Gators on New Year's Eve, 1991. But I digress... My point: Pictures do not do this city or its beguiling scenery justice! The French Quarter of New Orleans is spectacular year round, but is not to be missed during Mardi Gras!

Carnival originated as a pagan ritual of spring, but it was co-opted by the early Christian church and incorporated into the liturgical calendar as a precursor to season of Lent. As the Church grew and spread her influence, the traditions of Carnival spread as well. Today, Carnival is celebrated around the world, particularly in Catholic areas which were, at one time, under the influence of the Holy Roman Empire.

New Orleans is synonymous with Mardi Gras in part because it was settled by French Catholics. (More information about the history of Louisiana and New Orleans available HERE.) In the next installments of our Carnival series, we'll call out similar Roman Catholic roots and notice local differences in how Carnival is observed in Venice, Mainz, Rio de Janeiro, Daytona Beach (?), and my home in Alexandria.

Let the Good Times Roll! Or, as we say in Nawlins, Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Carnival 2014: Prelude

PRELUDE

This is the opening overture, the first of a planned series of 8 posts about Carnival--the world's biggest party. Carnival is the name for pre-Lenten festivities celebrated in grand style mostly in the predominantly Catholic regions of Europe and the Americas. I am interested in sharing a few personal perspectives on Carnivals past, present, and future.

I grew up Protestant in Nebraska and I am proud of  it. One of the reasons I am who I am is that I grew up in appreciation of the simple things, like:

• faith and family, 
• the great outdoors, 
• the virtue of hard work, 
• the value of being--and of having--a good neighbor, 
• respect for elders, and 
• a deep and abiding reverence for place and home. 

Urban kids, 

you don't even know 

what you are missing.

But the flip side of the same coin has also been significant in shaping me. The lack of stimulation in my small town drove me to leave home, go to a big name University out of state, join the Army, and see the world.

Now, some 35 years after I left home, I can look back on the fun, travel, and adventure of 5 years at Notre Dame, 28 years in the Army, and 2 years on my own with a sense of pleasure and accomplishment. In what I hope is the middle of what I hope will be a long life, I aim to carry the basic values of my youth while tightly gripping the handlebars of wanderlust...

A beer can collector spotted this unusual
beauty in my home state of Nebraska

Being Protestant and living in Nebraska, I did not discover Carnival until I left home and attended a Catholic University. When I was young, we celebrated Easter, but the austerity of Lent was not part of our tradition, and neither was the idea of  a pre-Lent party in which the next 40 days of sins were committed in advance, in one glorious week of debauchery.

This image captures the allure of Carnival

What follows in subsequent posts is a summary of my own experience of Carnival in New Orleans, Italy, and Germany, as well as planned trips to Brazil and Daytona, plus a little about how we celebrate Carnival in my current home of Alexandria. 

Watch this space for the next installments, and if you are so inclined, share a memory of what Carnival means to you.

Enjoy! or, as they say in New Orleans,

Let the Good Times Roll!