Why People Wear Costumes To Carnival?

Carnival is a joyous and uninhibited celebration that marks the overturning of daily life and gives us all one last chance to party before spending the entirety of lent repenting. What has always aided and can even make the carnival atmosphere is the use of fun and festive costumes, but where did this tradition come from and why is it carried out?

Wearing costumes dates back to Ancient Greek, Egyptian and African civilizations but for the purpose of this article we will talk about their significance during the carnival season. It all started with the Italians and the Venetian carnivals that date back to 1268. The popular attire of the time was masks and although carnival dress has altered significantly over the centuries they remain an integral part of the carnival season across Europe.

The common misconception about the mask is that it allows you to assume the anonymous identity of someone else, when in reality what a mask actually does is allow your real uninhibited self come out to play. Over the centuries this of course has had its drawbacks and when thousands gathered on streets and city centres across Europe with their deepest desires having free reign - anarchy overruled society. The wearing of masks and costumes has been associated with the moral decay of societies and as a result outlawed in countries across Europe, brought back, outlawed again but is now finally restored. No doubt the advent of CCTV has aided their return and ensured they will remain part of the carnival atmosphere for centuries to come.

Wearing costumes is deeply rooted in an archaic social class system. It is the ultimate leveling field where the poor mingle with the rich, the evil with the good, all under anonymity and in the aim of creating the perfect party. While costumes remain an integral part to carnival celebrations in the last few decades they have moved away from their traditional forms and transgressed into a pure visceral celebration. Now you are just as likely to see a superhero as you are a harlequin.

You can make your own costume or depending on how much time you have or what you want you can find one online from a wide variety of fancy dress retailers. Carnival and the costumes that make it are all about embracing the fantasy. Dive into the spirit this festive season and let your inhibitions run riot. Find out the costumes you are most likely to see at this years carnival season.

The top 5 Costumes of Carnival 2010

It is that time of year again when caution is thrown to the wind and full on exhibitionism comes to the forefront – its carnival season. Centuries ago what to wear during this festival was governed by traditional norms and in some ways this is still the case. However, more recently what to wear to a carnival is determined by the most ridiculous or audacious costume you can find. Here is a fun countdown of 5 of the best costume ideas for the carnival season 2010.


5. The Pig

A lot of countries have moved their costumes away from traditional pagan and religious roots and embraced current events when setting a theme. In France this year the theme is King of Planet Earth. This of course can be interpreted in a number of fun and wacky ways but the Spanish who base their costumes on perverting current events are sure to jump onto the swine flu bandwagon and use the Pig. Expect a lot of little oinkers this carnival season in Spain and beyond.

4. The Comical Costume

As we move further and further away from the pagan and religious backgrounds of carnival it has become more a celebration of life than tradition. People love to kick back and relax during the carnival season as they shed the serious suits and clothes of their everyday lives and embrace the comical. Expect to see a wide variety of people dressed as anything from the classic clown to talking hotdogs, mobile twister boards and walking whoopee cushions.

3. The Halloween inspired costume

For many European countries carnival is celebrated just like Halloween. There are treats, tricks and thousands dressed in ghoulish and scary costumes. The countries that are most prolific in these celebrations are Poland, Denmark, Hungary and Malta. Expect to see thousands of scary costumes around carnival season in these countries. What’s better than Halloween? Celebrating it twice in a year…

2. The Outrageous Costume

Carnival has always had a penchant for the outrageous after all it is a celebration of fantasy to mark shedding everyday life before lent. The problem is that what was outrageous last millennium, namely masks, robes and clowns just doesn’t cut it anymore. Now what is outrageous depends on your threshold, from fat suits and huge boobs, to ridiculous Bruno costumes, superheroes and walking talking gingerbread men. Outrageous costumes are sure to give your festival the perfect touch of escapism that it needs.

1. The Mask

Ok, so you couldn’t find a more traditional carnival costume than the Venetian mask, but it is always going to be a winner because it is integral to the carnival season. The mask originally was a way to ward off the devil, but paradoxically it is also one of the devils calling cards - a heady melding of good and evil. The mask allows its wearer not to assume a new identity as is commonly misinterpreted but rather to embrace their true selves – for this and its ability to promote anarchy (masks have been banned in countries across Europe for this very fact) the most common accessory at any carnival takes the top spot.