pobierz - Katowice Airport

WYDARZENIE | EvENT
Carnevale. The word itself derives
from the Latin carnelevamen and
carnisprivium, meaning ‘farewelling
meat’ and is where the English
word ‘carnival’ comes from.
Until the 1930s, it referred only to
the ‘time of merry-making before
Lent’. In Europe, the celebration
of Carnevale decadently, dates
back to the Middle Ages. The tradition
continues today and each
country’s celebrations take on a
local vibrancy that so perfectly
expresses and reflects the local
temperament and character. Is
there anyone who wouldn’t want
to samba down the streets of
Rio? Well, you don’t have to travel
all that far to celebrate in style.
We’ll fly from Katowice Airport to
the magical nooks and crannies
of our continent, to see where we
can celebrate like every night is
New Year’s Eve!
Belgium – BinChe
The carnival in Binche is one of
the oldest in Europe and of those
on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural
Heritage list, is one of only
three world-wide that is in the
Northern Hemisphere. This carnival’s
history dates back to the
16th century, when in 1549, the
festival was opened with the participation
of Incas, whose culture
was ‘discovered’ together with
South America. So fascinating
were the Incan customs and tra-
20 silesia airport
ditions, that the citizens of Binche
began to copy their dances and
dress. That was the beginning of
the Gille de Binche, where festivities
reach fever-pitch in the last
three days of the carnival. That
is when tourists from all over
the world descend on the city to
savour the celebrations. The festival
culminates on Shrove Tuesday
(the day before Ash Wednesday),
when to the beat of drums, Gille
– costumed clown-like perfor-
mers take to the streets. Dressed
in red, yellow and black striped
shirts, wax masks decorated with
green glasses and impressive
hats the world descend on the
city to savour the celebrations.
Only inhabitants of Binche are
allowed to wear this costume,
however, Gille are accompanied
by a procession of arlequins, pierrots
and peasants. Dancing with
the Gille in the main square and
a stunning display of fireworks
concludes the carnival in the
evening. Throughout the procession,
Gille hand out thousands
of oranges to the public – the
oranges symbolise abundance.
Details regarding the up-coming
festival in Binche are available at:
www.carnavalebinche.be
niemCy – COlOgne
November 11th, 11:11am signals
the beginning of what’s known in
Cologne as the ‘fifth season’ – a
season of balls and festivities
lasting right through to Ash
Wednesday. The anything-goes
atmosphere reaches its climax
during the ‘crazy days’ from Fat
Thursday before Ash Wednesday,
which includes a staging of
the storming of the Town Hall by
women. The mayor symbolically
presents the women with the
keys to the city’s gates, and on
that day women, dressed in colourful
costumes rule the city and
have the right to cut of the ties of
any man they meet and also kiss
any man they choose. The city
is at the mercy of the “Jecken”
(jesters and jokers) who rule.
The entire city parties together
forming a multi-coloured crowd
where you may meet the director
of a large company dressed as a
fantasy animal, or the dignified
accountant as Snow White. The
creativity and inventiveness of
students is something everyone
looks forward to seeing. The carnival’s
culminating parade is one
of the largest in Europe – with
over one million participants!
And let’s not forget about the
feasting: famous German beers
invigorate and the thousands of
sweets thrown by performers in
fancy dress refresh weary participants.
Information about the
carnival in Cologne is available at
www.koelnerkarneval.de
sPain – BarCelOna
Southern Europe and that Spanish
temperament…the revelry
of Carnavale on the Iberian Peninsula
is unique and the celebrations
date back to 1333. Here too,
the festivities reach fever-pitch
right towards the end. Fat Thursday
(before Ash Wednesday), to
go with the name, includes tortilla-making
competitions. You
can also try many other traditional
dishes such as salchichón
sausages. The most spectacular
event of all takes place on the Sa-
turday before Ash Wednesday – a
huge parade of lavishly decorated
floats and accompanying
dancers traversing the entire
country in a cloud of colourful
confetti. Thousands party until
they drop. The symbolic death of
the King of the Carnevale signals
the end. The hearse carrying the
King, accompanied by the wailing
of the widows, takes away
the festive atmosphere for another
year. The capital of Catalonia
has its own website:
www.bcn.es/carnaval – where
you can find information about
the parade route and the many
attractions awaiting visitors.
franCe – Paris
Parisians are known for their
reserve and reticence, and that is
exactly how they approach carnavale.
Festivities last only one
day, but oh do they celebrate!
Not particularly well-known, the
event doesn’t attract crowds,
making it the perfect addition to
a romantic getaway. Dancers
in fancy dress, the delightful
accomapniament of musicians
parading along Paris’ stunning
promenades is a memory worth
storing for a lifetime. Mardi Gras,
Fat Tuesday, is the last day of the
carnival. Generally, French people
watch their diets carefully,
but on this day, it’s a free-for-all
gorge-fest of donuts, crepes,
waffles and other tasty morsels
– anything as long as it’s fatty
and sweet. More information is
available at
www.carnavaldeparis.org
italy – veniCe
Dating all the way back to 1094, it
is without a doubt that the most
famous and most popular carnival
event on the Old Continent
is in Venice. The city’s stunning
and unique backdrop only serves
to make the event even more
attractive for visitors and citizens
alike. Jealous of its success, Napo-
leon banned the event and it was
only in 1979, that the carnival in
Venice regained its splendour.
Famous masks, the remarkable
costumes and wonderful music
(as you would expect from the
cradle of opera), take to the
streets already on the second day
of Christmas, and the festivities
continue right up until midnight
on the last Tuesday of the carnival.
Then, with the tolling of the
bells on St Mark’s Square, called
the world’s most beautiful ballroom,
everyone removes their
masks and shows their faces. The
traditional Flight of the Angel
from the St Mark’s bell tower and
the final night of the carnival
form the most sublime manner
in which to farewell the carnival.
It’s important to remember that
tradition dictates that you nod in
a show of respect towards anyone
wearing a mask. Information
about the upcoming celebrations
can be found at
www.carnevale.venezia.it
Paris, Barcelona, Cologne or
even London with its Pancake
Tuesday….all of these places
are just a short flight away from
Katowice Airport – even if it’s just
for a quick weekend away. It’s
carnavale, it’s time to celebrate…
so let’s do just that! The party of a
lifetime – guaranteed!!!
sylwia kaczyńska-adamczyk