The Limassol Carnival Festival is an annual European carnival event held in Limassol, Cyprus.The event is held 12 days before the start of Lent, on the Sunday before Ash Monday, 50 days before OrthodoxEaster.[1][2] The festival is a colourful 10-day event of people eating, singing, satire, games, wearing costumes, and attending parties. The festival culminates with a large parade, which includes an array of floats traversing the city.[3][4][5]
Limassol Carnival Festival, which is said to be an old custom traced to pagan rituals,[6] is now held as an entertaining event.[7] 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 of 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.[8] As practiced now in Limassol is a legacy from the Venetians who ruled over Cyprus during the 15th–16th centuries.[7][9][10] Unlike the Carnival of Venice, 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.[2][10]
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.[11] The new rules are as follows:
The number of participants in each group should not exceed 500 people
Large amount of alcohol is not allowed on the floats
No DJ is allowed on board the vehicles
Broadcasting music is forbidden
Loudspeakers must be tuned into the radio frequency broadcasting music for the parade
The 2021 edition of the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, people arrived to celebrate the festival as they were allowed to have a "mini parade" which saw them remain in their cars and follow the route that the annual parade would usually take.[12] Later in the day, more people arrived and the event turned into a street party, with most attendees ignoring social distancing rules and not wearing masks.[13] Police eventually intervened.[14] Limassol mayor Nicos Nicolaides said that he was "saddened and disappointed" by the behaviour of the attendees.[14][15] 28 people and two businesses were fined by police.[14]
Importanceedit
Carnival has been celebrated in Cyprus for over a century, regardless of the political or economic conditions of the time. The epicentre of the Carnival in Cyprus is the seafront city of Limassol, the residents of which have a reputation for being the most fun-loving and sociable on the island. Carnival represents a ritual which on the eve of spring affords the opportunity for people to express their faith and optimism for a good year.[16] The municipality conducts a minimum of five events which include an open-air event at Tepak Square. A children's parade is rightly considered to be one of the key events of the carnival and is held on the first Sunday of the festive events. Children customarily dress up in carnival costumes and parade down 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.[7]
Themesedit
The first week of the festival begins on a Thursday with entry of the King Carnival (as a satirical display it could be a Queen also[7]) in a procession through the town which is decorated for the occasion followed by a grand fancy dress competition of children that is held at the Tsirion Athletic Stadium. The first week also marks the Meat Week (Kreatini), which is the last week for eating meat before Easter. The day the festival starts is also known as "Tsiknopempti" (meaning "Stinky Thursday"[7]), a name attributed to the cooking aromas of meat pervading the streets.[9][10][17]
In the second week of the festival, which is called the cheese week (Tyrini), dairy products are consumed. At the end of the week on a Sunday the celebration involves the Grand Carnival parade which is taken through the Makariou III Avenue of Limassol. People from all parts of the island gather to watch the "floats with the serenade and other masqueraded groups."[9][10]
Throughout the festival period most hotels and clubs in the city hold fancy dress balls and parties.[9] Clowns, cowboys, pirates, dragons, ancient Greeks and medieval knights are popular themes, but pop stars along with characters from the year's hit movies and musicals are also a common sight.[18]
Locationedit
The Limassol Municipality organizes the final Carnival Grand Parade all the way through the Makarios Avenue (approximately 7 kilometers), Limassol's high street.[19][20]
^ abcd"Limassol events". Cyprus Event News. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
^Limassol carnival to get stricter on floats and groups
^"Limassolians take to the streets in cars to celebrate Carnival (Video)".
^"Concerns that Limassol Carnival celebrations are spiraling out of control (Video)".
^ abc"UPDATE-40 citizens, 2 businesses booked for Limassol Old Port Carnival gathering".
^@Nicolaides_N (14 March 2021). "Τα σημερινά συμβάντα σε καμιά περίπτωση δεν αντιπροσωπεύουν τη συντριπτική πλειοψηφία των Λεμεσιανών. Εκφράζω τη λύ…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Go fashion shopping on Limassol’s Makarios Avenue
Bibliographyedit
Inc, IBP (3 March 2012). Cyprus Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments. Lulu.com. ISBN978-1-4387-7423-7. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
Antoniadou, Zoe Andrea (1992). The Gradual Destruction of the Urban and Cultural Environment in Limassol, Cyprus. University of California, Berkeley.
Merin, Jennifer; Burdick, Elizabeth B. (1 November 1979). International directory of theatre, dance, and folklore festivals: a project of the International Theatre Institute of the United States, inc. Greenwood Press. ISBN978-0-313-20993-2.
October 28, 2023
limassol, carnival, festival, annual, european, carnival, event, held, limassol, cyprus, event, held, days, before, start, lent, sunday, before, monday, days, before, orthodox, easter, festival, colourful, event, people, eating, singing, satire, games, wearing. The Limassol Carnival Festival is an annual European carnival event held in Limassol Cyprus The event is held 12 days before the start of Lent on the Sunday before Ash Monday 50 days before Orthodox Easter 1 2 The festival is a colourful 10 day event of people eating singing satire games wearing costumes and attending parties The festival culminates with a large parade which includes an array of floats traversing the city 3 4 5 Limassol Carnival FestivalOfficial nameLimassol CarnivalAlso calledKarnavali LemesouCelebrationsCostumes and paradesDateSunday before Ash Monday Contents 1 History 2 Importance 3 Themes 4 Location 5 Images 6 See also 7 References 8 BibliographyHistory edit nbsp The Grand Parade with young participantsLimassol Carnival Festival which is said to be an old custom traced to pagan rituals 6 is now held as an entertaining event 7 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 of the carnival is by Neophitos 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 who 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 8 As practiced now in Limassol is a legacy from the Venetians who ruled over Cyprus during the 15th 16th centuries 7 9 10 Unlike the Carnival of Venice 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 2 10 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 11 The new rules are as follows The number of participants in each group should not exceed 500 people Large amount of alcohol is not allowed on the floats No DJ is allowed on board the vehicles Broadcasting music is forbidden Loudspeakers must be tuned into the radio frequency broadcasting music for the paradeThe 2021 edition of the festival was cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic Despite this people arrived to celebrate the festival as they were allowed to have a mini parade which saw them remain in their cars and follow the route that the annual parade would usually take 12 Later in the day more people arrived and the event turned into a street party with most attendees ignoring social distancing rules and not wearing masks 13 Police eventually intervened 14 Limassol mayor Nicos Nicolaides said that he was saddened and disappointed by the behaviour of the attendees 14 15 28 people and two businesses were fined by police 14 Importance editCarnival has been celebrated in Cyprus for over a century regardless of the political or economic conditions of the time The epicentre of the Carnival in Cyprus is the seafront city of Limassol the residents of which have a reputation for being the most fun loving and sociable on the island Carnival represents a ritual which on the eve of spring affords the opportunity for people to express their faith and optimism for a good year 16 The municipality conducts a minimum of five events which include an open air event at Tepak Square A children s parade is rightly considered to be one of the key events of the carnival and is held on the first Sunday of the festive events Children customarily dress up in carnival costumes and parade down 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 7 Themes editThe first week of the festival begins on a Thursday with entry of the King Carnival as a satirical display it could be a Queen also 7 in a procession through the town which is decorated for the occasion followed by a grand fancy dress competition of children that is held at the Tsirion Athletic Stadium The first week also marks the Meat Week Kreatini which is the last week for eating meat before Easter The day the festival starts is also known as Tsiknopempti meaning Stinky Thursday 7 a name attributed to the cooking aromas of meat pervading the streets 9 10 17 In the second week of the festival which is called the cheese week Tyrini dairy products are consumed At the end of the week on a Sunday the celebration involves the Grand Carnival parade which is taken through the Makariou III Avenue of Limassol People from all parts of the island gather to watch the floats with the serenade and other masqueraded groups 9 10 Throughout the festival period most hotels and clubs in the city hold fancy dress balls and parties 9 Clowns cowboys pirates dragons ancient Greeks and medieval knights are popular themes but pop stars along with characters from the year s hit movies and musicals are also a common sight 18 Location editThe Limassol Municipality organizes the final Carnival Grand Parade all the way through the Makarios Avenue approximately 7 kilometers Limassol s high street 19 20 Images edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp See also editMasquerade ballReferences edit Merin amp Burdick 1979 p 82 a b Antoniadou 1992 p 47 My Destination Limassol Carnival Cyprus Festivals amp Annual Events carnaval com Archived from the original on 2020 03 01 Retrieved 2020 03 01 5 Reasons Why Limassol Carnival Is King Archived from the original on 2016 05 26 Retrieved 2016 05 26 Limassol Marathon Cyprus cyprusmarathon tumblr com Retrieved 11 January 2016 a b c d e Limassol Cyprus Coolest Carnival outside of Rio CNN 3 March 2014 Retrieved 1 December 2015 Limassol Carnival The History of the Festival From Ancient Times to the Present a b c d Inc 2012 p 101 a b c d Limassol events Cyprus Event News Retrieved 24 November 2015 Limassol carnival to get stricter on floats and groups Limassolians take to the streets in cars to celebrate Carnival Video Concerns that Limassol Carnival celebrations are spiraling out of control Video a b c UPDATE 40 citizens 2 businesses booked for Limassol Old Port Carnival gathering Nicolaides N 14 March 2021 Ta shmerina symbanta se kamia periptwsh den antiproswpeyoyn th syntriptikh pleiopshfia twn Lemesianwn Ekfrazw th ly Tweet via Twitter Limassol Municipality Carnival Limassol carnival set to be biggest ever Archived from the original on 2017 02 02 Retrieved 2016 03 13 CNN Limassol Cyprus Coolest Carnival outside of Rio Limassol Carnival Limaol Municipality 2015 Go fashion shopping on Limassol s Makarios AvenueBibliography editInc IBP 3 March 2012 Cyprus Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments Lulu com ISBN 978 1 4387 7423 7 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a last has generic name help Antoniadou Zoe Andrea 1992 The Gradual Destruction of the Urban and Cultural Environment in Limassol Cyprus University of California Berkeley Merin Jennifer Burdick Elizabeth B 1 November 1979 International directory of theatre dance and folklore festivals a project of the International Theatre Institute of the United States inc Greenwood Press ISBN 978 0 313 20993 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Limassol Carnival Festival amp oldid 1159097265, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
