2. The term carnival comes
from the latin expression
“carnem levare”,
which means to take away
the flesh, referring to
the prohibition from eating meat
during the 40 days of Lent
3. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church,
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with
the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday evening.
4. The 40 days of Lent symbolizes Christa¡s period of hardship
and fasting in the desert, before starting his mission
5. It also symbolizes the 40 days of the
universal flood in the time of Noah.
6. And also refers to the
40 years the Israelites
journeyed in the desert
escaping from Egypt,
on the way to the
promised land of
Canaan.
7. It refers to the 400 years the Hebrews
suffered in slavery in Egypt.
10. Wherefore the practice of fasting to dominate the passions.
“Carnival“ comes from carne-levare – take away the flesh.
They also take away feasting and music in order to
give more time to prayer and conversion.
12. “Martedì grasso”, the last day of Carnival,
a banquet is held with typical foods, and the “carne“
or flesh was a symbol of these excesses.
13. For Christians in Medieval times, Carnival consisted in representing paganism.
The people hid behind masks and costumes and celebrated parades, dances
and banquets. They burned bonfires and sacrificed animals .
14. It was a time of permissiveness, of social criticism,
when they made fun of government, nobles,
the clergy and even morality and religion.
15. 4,000 years ago the Egyptians celebrated
the feast of the sacred ox, Apis of Memphis.
OTHER
ORIGINS OF
THE FEAST
16. The Greeks celebrated feasts in honour of Dionisio,
noted for their social tolerance. The social class barriers
were forgotten and all men were equal during those days.
17. The pagan origin of carnival probably comes from the Roman Saturnal
feasts. and the celebrations in honour of Bacus. It is also associated
with the sowing of the winter season, with the coming of spring and
the new cycle of growth.
18. The Hebrews celebrated Purim,
conmemorating the fall of
the Persian King Asuerus,
called Aman, according to
the book of Esther
500 years B.C.
