It's Carnevale Time!!

Ok, so I digress... It's not actually Carnevale (Carnival in English) time like the title of my post suggests. But, it certainly does feel a little Carneval-y (is that even a word?! :)) around here now that I'm the proud owner of this beauty! :)

That's my brand new Carnevale mask from Venice! Isn't she gorgeous?! :)

For all of you that may be feeling slightly unsure as to what I'm rambling on about, let me try to explain. Venice, Italy is the home to the Carnevale di Venezia, which is an annual festival that is held during the two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Fat Tuesday... Basically, it's their version of Mardi Gras. (But, I have to admit, it appears to be a much more classier event than ours is. :)). Carnevale originally began as a means of celebration and expression throughout the social classes of Italy. Wearing masks during this time enabled the citizens to celebrate with all classes of people, without being discriminated against based on their class. Because of this, it is a time-honored tradition to wear masks at Carnevale. And, the more elaborate the mask, the better! :)

While wandering through Venice this summer, we came across many little shops that sold Carnevale masks. My favorites were the tiny shops in which you could watch the masks being made. After strolling through numerous stores and witnessing the masks being made, Brian and I decided that a Venetian Carnevale mask would be the perfect souvenir from Venice. (Just an FYI... Whenever Brian and I travel, we always try to find something that is specific to that particular place to bring back with us. Instead of buying cheap trinkets at all of these places, we try to find things that have meaning to us.... Hence, our desire to buy a Venetian mask! :)) Throughout the rest of our stay in Venice, we searched for the perfect mask... However, as the end of the day drew nearer and the shops were all closing, we realized that our favorite masks were at one of the first stores we stopped in... And, shall I remind you of how lost we were in Venice?! :) Well, by that time, we had no idea where the shop was, so alas, we left Venice with no mask. :(

Well, as luck might have it, our friend, John, requested to go to Venice during his trip here... And, during that trip, Brian went on a mission to find the perfect mask to bring home for me!! (I literally have the sweetest husband ever! :))... Needless to say, he did an awesome job of picking it out!! He found a little shop where he was able to watch the owner making the masks, and the one he picked had just been given its final touches. I think it's absolutely gorgeous! :)

For me, the best part is that years from now, we'll be able to look at the mask hanging on the wall in our house, and remember all of the fabulous experiences we had over here! :)

For those of you that are curious and eager to learn more about Carnevale, click here for additional photos and information... Enjoy! :)