New gobelet and Candle Holder

CANDLE HOLDER AMBER

GOBELET "Coppa" RED

GOBELET "Cono" AMBER

GOBELET "Pirex" BLUE

GOBELET "Pirex" LIGHT BLUE

GOBELET "Pirex" PINK

GOBELET "Farfalla" AMBER and GOLD

Official Carnival 2011 in Venice

Carnival 2011

19-20 February 2011 e 26 Feb - 8 March 2011

Re-launched two decades ago, the Carnival was immediately regarded both in Italy and abroad as an event not to be missed.

Venice Carnival is steeped in history, charm and tradition: its inhabitants and tourists alike have taken a keen interest in it, thanks to its mix of transgression, art, history and culture in one of the most unique cities in the world.

During the ten days of Carnival leading up to Mardi Gras, Venice is a hive of activity and entertainment, from improvised street entertainment to performances put on by the organisers.

A central idea is chosen each year that is taken from various cultural or show-biz themes.

Saint Mark's Square remains the heart of Carnival, with its huge stage, although other events take place throughout the city, helping to avoid an excessive build-up of people in pedestrianised Venice.

History

Origins of Carnival

The Carnival has its roots in many traditions, from the Latin feast of Saturnalia to the Greek feast of Dionysian cults celebrating the start of spring, when masks were used for symbolic representation. It signalled a time in which everything was permitted in an apparent incarnation of the world turned on its head.

In fact, the Carnival was a means of rigidly controlling the impulses. The tendency to excess was merely a benevolent concession for a prescribed period of time.

In the strictly hierarchical Venetian society, it was deemed necessary to give the most humble classes the illusion of becoming similar to the more powerful classes, albeit wearing a mask: the aim was to diminish social tensions and maintain consensus.

An extended calendar

Carnival was prolonged even further. It usually began on December 26, ending on Ash Wednesday, although carnival licence was often given for the wearing of masks from October 1 and it was not unusual to attend parties and banquets during Lent.

During the Festa della Sensa, which lasted 15 days, the use of masks and disguises was allowed.

In other words, Carnival lasted for a few months and this certainly helped to create the image of Venice as a city dedicated to pleasure.

The festivities

Venice's population took part in official festivities in the public square, in particular on "giovedì grasso" (Carnival Thursday), with the Strength of Hercules and the Flight of the Turk (an acrobat who descended a rope from the bell tower of Saint Mark's).

There were also fireworks and live entertainment with acrobats, tightrope walkers, puppeteers and street entertainers, all under State control.

As well as these public festivities there were numerous private parties in the patrician houses and palaces, where magnificent balls and gambling took place.

Il Ridotto

In this climate of pleasure, there had to be gambling and il Ridotto at S. Moisé, the public gaming house run by the State, became one of the focal points of the Venetian carnival.

Between 1638 (when it opened) and 1774 (when it closed), thousands of masked gamblers let thousands of ducats flow into the State coffers.

It was only open during carnival (which lasted quite a few months), and only the croupiers and the so-called barnabotti (impoverished Venetian aristocrats) were exempt from wearing masks.

Traditional sweets

Pastry-chefs came under the Arte dei Scaleteri (school of pastissier), which took its name from the "scalete", pastries whose shape looked like iron grilles or a small ladder. Apparently they were wedding pastries no longer produced.

However, you can always find other "golosessi" in Venice: delicious sweets and biscuits, such as "bussolai", "baicoli" and "zaeti", made from maize floor, perfect for dunking in Malvasia wine or zabaione.

Frittelle e galani

Frittelle and galani are symbols of Carnival.

Frittelle (recipe)

Ingredients:

g. 20 yeast

g 500 flour

cl 300 milk

2 eggs

g 100 white sugar

g 100 butter

oil, for frying

Mix the floor, sugar, eggs and milk together in a bowl, add a pitch of salt and some yeast, raisins, lemon and grated apple.

Mix until smooth , then leave to rest somewhere warm.

Fry until golden in a pan of oil; drain well and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Galani or crostoli (recipe)

ingredients:

g 500 flour

g 100 white sugar

g 50 butter

2 eggs

cl 125 white wine

a pinch of salt

lemon zest

rum or anisette, 1Tbsp

oil, for frying

Roll out a sheet of pastry made from eggs, floor, sugar, butter, rum or anisette and a pinch of salt.

Leave to rest for half an hour, then roll as thinly as possible with a rolling pin.

Cut into strips, making small cuts in the centre to form bubbles.

Fry, leave to cool, and then sprinkle with icing sugar.

Link:

Official program in Venice:

http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/programma.php?slang=en

Carnival in the 18th century

The Serenissima Republic fell to the French in 1797 and its final century of power appears concentrated on life's more exterior and frivolous pleasures, although in reality the situation was far more complex.
During this period Carnival, with its parties, entertainments, masks, theatres and public gaming house, became a tourist attraction for the whole of Europe, welcoming thousands of visitors eager to experience its extremely unusual and effervescent atmosphere, with Venice itself becoming "The Magnet of Europe".

Carlo Goldoni

In the plays of Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793), Carnival is mentioned so often that his work has become an important source of documentation.
His works were often shown during the long carnival season, which we find mentioned in some of his most famous plays, such as La vedova scaltra, Le massere, Le morbinose, I rusteghi, and Una delle ultime sere di Carnovale.
Goldoni's attitude to the luxury and ostentation of carnival is certainly not benevolent, with his plays suggesting a more simple and moderate form of entertainment.

Casanova: myth and reality

He probably best personifies the pleasure-seeking, lustful and decadent aspects of 18th century Venice.
Although a complex and articulate man, in life he was considered a sorcerer, man of letters, spy, libertine, fugitive, inveterate gambler, forger, traitor, seducer, cardsharp, poet, slanderer, atheist, cheat, rogue, blasphemer and alchemist.
Protected by his mask, he attended the best salons, the most fashionable theatres and Il Ridotto, where he squandered gold ducats at the gaming tables, and did not disdain from frequenting even the most squalid brothels: wherever he went, he left a trail of scandal behind him.

MY COLLECTION OF SWAROVSKI FIGURE

Italian Bomboniere

Bomboniere (Italian) also known as "favors", are gifts given out on special occasions, such as a wedding, to the guests.

They usually come with Jordan almonds, known in Italian as Confetti. Five sugared almonds, which for wedding, symbolise health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life.

Bomboniere can be made in many forms using several different ingredients.

Sugared almonds are put inside a bag made of tulle or satin and tied with ribbons in assorted colors.

The colour of sugared almonds is white for a wedding, First Communion or Confirmation; pink or light-blue for birthday or Baptism of a baby girl or baby boy, respectively, red for a graduation, and silver or gold for 25 or 50 year anniversaries.

Often they are adorned with dried natural flowers or artificial flowers made of silk or paper. The bag is often given stored inside a small vessel made of silver, crystal or porcelain.

Torta Bomboniera

A different and new type of bomboniera is the Favor Cake or "Torta Bomboniera" as it is called in Italy. They are made using little carton box forming one or more tier of a "cake".

Inside each box there are the sugared almonds and a card printed with the data of ceremony (names, date etc.). On each box there are glued several types of fine objects made of many materials.

Evolution of "Torta Bomboniera" to "Pasticceria Artigianale in Porcellana" (Porcelain Artisan Pastries)

The following type of Italian Favor Cake is an evolution of above types.

It is made using porcelain boxes shaped and hand decorated like very real edible "bignè" or cream puff.

Inside each box there are five sugared almonds and a card printed with data of ceremony.

For this reasons, the name that Italians give to this new idea is "Pasticceria Artigianale in Porcellana", that is Porcelain Artisan Pastries

Jordan almonds, also known as sugared almonds or confetti, are a type of confectionery consisting of almonds covered with a candy coating in various colors, originating from Italy and particularly typical of the town of Sulmona.

The term 'Jordan Almonds' (according to Webster's New International Dictionary) came from the French word 'jardin,' meaning 'garden,' 'hence, a cultivated almond'. Another source of information indicated that at one time the term referred to a variety of almonds originally grown along the Jordan River characterized by long, thin, slender, rather smooth kernels in thick, heavy shells.

A classic form of dragée, they are often used as wedding favors due to the "bitter" almonds and the "sweet" sugar representing bittersweet married life.

The treats are often packaged in groups of five per guest, accompanied by a traditional poem:

Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat

To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.

Five wishes for the new husband and wife --

Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!

Jordan almonds commonly come in pastel, spring-themed colors such as lilac, pale yellow, light blue, light green, and white. The colors are traditionally associated with certain life events, such as white Jordan almonds for weddings, red Jordan almonds for graduations and yellow, pink or blue Jordan almonds for baby showers or baptisms.

More Bomboniere: www.morbideidee.com