[TI] Fw: Carnival in Sicily and Peppe Nappa

[M GILL]

Someone earlier was looking for information on the Carnival in Sicily before Lent.

Carnival 
in 
Sicily 
and 
Peppe 
Nappa
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Posted 
on 
Thursday 
17th 
of 
January 
2008 
under
    
  
  
 
Festivities 
| 
Traditions 
| 
    
  
    
    
  
  
Thisyear, 
Carnival 
celebrations 
will 
start 
around 
Friday, 
January 
25 
and
finish 
on 
Tuesday, 
February 
05, 
2008. 
This 
time 
of 
the 
year, 
theweather 
in 
Sicily 
is 
still 
quite 
unstable 
and 
temperatures 
usuallyrange 
between 
6 
and 
16 
degrees 
Celsius, 
nonetheless, 
it 
is 
an
interesting 
time 
to 
visit 
the 
island 
as 
mount 
Etna 
is 
covered 
in 
snowand 
Carnival 
festivals 
make 
a 
visit 
all 
the 
more 
interesting.

Carnevale 
is 
the 
pre-Lenten 
celebration 
which 
has 
deep 
rootedtraditions 
all 
over 
Italy. 
It 
marks 
the 
last 
chance 
for 
people 
to 
havefun 
and 
eat 
meat 
before 
Ash 
Wednesday 
opens 
the 
penance 
and 
fasting
period. 
Traditionally, 
this 
was 
the 
time 
of 
the 
year 
when 
people 
coulduse 
masks 
to 
free 
themselves, 
servants 
could 
take 
revenge 
on 
theirmasters, 
lovers 
could 
meet 
disrespecting 
social 
rules 
and 
everyone 
was
allowed 
to 
indulge 
on 
food 
and 
drinks. 
It 
is 
also 
tightly 
linked 
to 
thecommedia 
dell’arte, 
the 
famous 
comic 
form 
of 
street 
theatre 
thatdeveloped 
in 
Italy 
in 
the 
15th 
century. 
These 
troupes 
of 
actors featured 
colorful 
costumes 
and 
masked 
clowns 
called 
zanni 
playing characters 
such 
as 
Pulcinella, 
Arlecchino, 
and 
Pantalone, 
each 
tied 
to a 
specific 
region 
and 
renown 
for 
their 
distinctive 
masks 
which 
later
became 
traditional 
carnival 
costumes. 

Today,
the 
celebrations 
have 
lost 
part 
of 
the 
original 
meaning 
and 
charm, 
and are 
mostly 
dedicated 
to 
children. 
However, 
throughout 
Italy, 
and 
also in 
Sicily, 
cities, 
towns 
and 
villages 
still 
celebrate 
this 
festivity.
It 
is 
a 
great 
time 
to 
visit 
these 
towns 
if 
you 
have 
children 
or 
you simply 
like 
mingling 
with 
the 
locals 
taking 
part 
in 
traditional celebrations.

Carnival 
traditions 
in 
Sicily 
date 
back 
to 
the 
17th 
century 
when 
the first 
celebrations 
took 
place 
in 
the 
capital, 
Palermo. 
The 
first Carnival 
chariot 
in 
papier 
mache’ 
was 
made 
in 
Palermo 
in 
1601 
and
represented 
Neptune 
surrounded 
by 
mermaids 
and 
this 
art 
then 
spread 
to other 
towns 
in 
Sicily. 
Today 
the 
most 
famous 
celebrations 
are 
the 
ones in 
the 
following 
towns: 
Acireale, 
Sciacca,Termini 
Imerese 
and 
Palazzolo 
Acreide.

A
special 
tribute 
from 
us 
at 
loveSicily 
goes 
to 
Peppe 
Nappa, 
the 
Sicilian character 
of 
the 
Commedia 
dell’Arte 
that 
represents 
the 
island 
during carnival.

Peppe 
Nappa 
is 
considered 
like 
a 
Sicilian 
version 
of 
the 
French 
Pierrot for 
the 
similarity 
of 
the 
costume 
and 
also 
for 
some 
of 
the 
defining elements 
of 
its 
character. 
His 
light 
blue 
blouse 
and 
trousers 
are 
soft
and 
wavy 
like 
the 
colour 
of 
the 
Mediterranean 
sea 
surrounding 
Sicily.He 
is 
a 
lazy 
servant 
that 
spends 
his 
time 
yawning 
and 
sleeping 
but 
can surprise 
the 
audience 
with 
sudden 
moments 
of 
energy. 
He 
is 
also 
a
gourmand, 
and 
that 
is 
why 
we 
like 
him 
so 
much! 
Always 
hungry, 
his favorite 
place 
is 
the 
kitchen 
and 
keeps 
searching 
for 
good 
tasty 
food to 
eat 
before 
going 
back 
to 
his 
world 
of 
dreams!

And 
indeed, 
food 
has 
its 
special 
role 
in 
the 
Sicilian 
Carnival. 
Pork sauce, 
home 
made 
maccheroni 
with 
meat 
ragu’, 
soups 
prepared 
with 
lard, 
"gnucchitti" and 
other 
rich 
fatty 
preparations 
are 
typical 
of 
this 
time 
of 
the 
year.Among 
the 
sweets, 
"Mpagnuccata" 
made 
of 
small 
little 
round 
fried biscuits 
covered 
in 
honey 
and 
colorful 
sugar 
decorations

Originally, 
even 
the 
world 
famous 
cannoli 
were 
usually 
prepared 
just 
for 
carnival, 
now 
we 
have 
them 
throughout 
the 
year.