‘Carnival of hope’ Venice’s kicks off as COVID-19 worries ease
By Cynthia Montojo
“This is the Carnival of hope,” Venice resident Cristian Scalise said. “COVID is ending and we hope to return to our life as always.”
Thousands of people reveled in the start of the annual Carnival celebrations in Venice on Saturday, marking a slow return to normality after COVID-19 pandemic hit the two previous editions.
The 2020 Venice Carnival, which usually draws tourists from around the world, was curtailed when pandemic broke out in Italy in February that year and then canceled the following year as the government sought to contain infections.
Italy’s rate of new COVID infections and hospitalizations has been gradually declining in recent weeks and the government this week ended requirement for people to wear face masks outdoors under most circumstances.
Carnival attractions, such as parades, will remain suspended to avoid contagion, authorities have ruled.
Some 50,000 people had come to the lagoon city to take part in the celebration, local police record showed.
The Venice Carnival began centuries ago as a period of excess before rigors of Lent, the 40 days of fasting that traditionally precede Easter. A traditional Carnival costume often included a mask not as a guard against disease as in current times, but so festival-goers could hide their identities and do as they pleased.
On Saturday, only a few people were seen wearing costumes and the mood was more subdued than usual, but this is expected to change in the coming days as this year’s edition, entitled “Remember the Future”, gets going.
The Carnival is due to run until March 1.
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