Limassol Carnival Festival

Limassol Carnival Festival

Grand Carnival Parade of Limassol
Official name Limassol Carnival
Also called Karnavali Lemesou
Observed by Europeans & non-Europeans
Significance Social, Religious, Economic
Celebrations Costume Parties & Parades
Date Sunday before Ash Monday

The Limassol Carnival Festival is an annual European carnival event held at Limassol, Cyprus. It is considered one of the most notable carnival events worldwide.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The event is held 12 days before the Christian season of Lent on the Sunday before Ash Monday, 50 days before Orthodox Easter.[10][11] The festival is a 10-day colourful event of people feasting, singing songs, satire, games, carnival processions and balls.[12][13][14]

History

A typical Greco-Roman thematic

Limassol Carnival Festival, which is said to be an old custom traced to pagan rituals,[15] is now held as an entertaining event.[16] The local belief is that it is a Hellenistic heritage that goes back to pre-Christian times and to an ancient Greek festival honoring Dionysus, the deity of wine and fun. However, the first written reference оf the carnival is by Nеоphitos Egklistos, who accuses Cypriots of idolatry and accepting an alien tradition of celebrating the start of the Great Fast. The second historical mention is from Christophor Furkher Nirenberg, whо visited Cyprus in 1566 during a journey to the Holy Land. Nirenmberg was impressed by the carnival parades and told a story about how local noblemen organize amazing feasts, where people dance, sing and have fun.[17] As practiced now in Limassol is a legacy from the Venetians who ruled over Cyprus during the 15th–16th centuries.[16][18][19] The Carnival of Venice, however, takes itself very seriously, in comparison. In contrast, both adults and children can join the Limassol Carnival and as a rule everyone pours foam on each other in the Old City. The celebrations are held in most towns around the island, but the event held in Limassol is by far the largest and most popular.[11][19]

Social Importance

Limassol The Grand Parade with young participants

As an institution and traditional festival, the Carnival has been celebrated consistently in Limassol and all over Cyprus over the last one hundred years, and regardless of political or economic conditions it represents a ritual which on the eve of spring affords the opportunity for people to express their faith and optimism for a good year.[20] The municipality conducts a minimum of five masked balls which include an open-air ball on Heroon Square in the heart of city center, and in huge ball rooms of major hotels. A children’s parade is rightly considered to be one of the key events of the carnival. It is held on the first Sunday of the festive events. Children customarily dress up in carnival costumes and travel the streets of Limassol.

On the Grand Carnival parade the floats theme and the singing are commonly satirical. The Carnival King or Queen could be presented as a satirical figure representing social, political and economic conditions of relevance to Cyprus or Europe in general. On the final day which is the Grand Carnival more than 150 floats and an estimated 50.000 people take part in the procession. The city's brass band and groups of drummers and mandolin-toting kantadoroi (serenaders) accompany the Carnival King (or Queen). During 2014 the satirical theme was the Carnival King depicted with Euro signs indicative of the economic crisis in Europe. On an earlier occasion the Carnival Queen was presented as Angela Merkel as they had then considered her responsible for the economic crisis in Cyprus.[16]

Themes & Timeline

Limassol Parade mascots with painted faces

Location

The Limassol Municipality organizes the final Carnival Grand Parade all the way through the Makarios Avenue (approximately 7 kilometers), Limassol's high street.[23][24]

2016 Rules

Limassol Parade on Makariou avenue from rooftop

After some groups broke the ground rules in 2015, the Limassol municipality does not allow offending groups or floats from starting from the Enaerios junction and may intercept them at a later stage with the help of police and security guards.[25] The new rules are as follows:

Random Street Images

See also

References

Bibliography

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