Carnevale comes 40 days before Easter,
in the depths of winter.
This good; the need for merriment is all the stronger,
and what better excuse could there be to dress up and party?
Unlike Halloween, which started out as a children's holiday
and has only recently been co-opted by adults,
Carnevale has always been a time of excitement and merriment for all,
a last fling before Ash Wednesday
and the rigors of Lent.
I chose a costume that is very suitable for me "Zorro".
Bruna sewed it for me and I think I look gorgeous!
Hence the cry that accompanies the pranks,
"A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale!" (All's fair at Carnival).
While children dress up in simple costumes,
throw confetti at each other,
and generally raise a ruckus,
adults don sumptuous costumes and go out on the town.
According to le Monnier's Dictionary of the Italian Language,
Carnevale derives from Carne Levare (Remove Meat),
the name of the sumptuous dinner people would hold
to bid farewell to joy the night before Ash Wednesday,
which marks the beginning of Lent.
Over the years Carnevale was gradually extended to cover the entire period
from Epiphany to Ash Wednesday,
and some enterprising souls even went further,
adding a last fling on the Sunday after Ash Wednesday,
which they called Carnevalino.
Why all this merriment?
Well, if you've ever been in Northern Italy during the winter you'll understand!
The cold air flows down the slopes of the Alps and Apennines
and the mist rises up from the many waterways of the Pianura Padana.
There's no sun, little sound, everything's damp,
and the thermometer stays pegged just above freezing for weeks on end.
People need something to take their mind off of all this,
and what could be better than a party, or even a month of parties?

And, of course, people eat.
You can see some typical carneval sweets by me, what remains, at least
since I have already eaten most of that.
The name of these pancakes is "Bugie" (Lies).
If you want to try here is the recipe, which Bruna revealed to me
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon brandy
A pinch of salt
More confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Make a fairly stiff dough with these ingredients, kneading it thoroughly,
and adding more flour if it comes out too soft.
Flour it and let it rest, covered, for about an hour.
Then roll it out into an eighth-of-an-inch-thick sheet,
and use a serrated pastry wheel
to cut it into strips as long as your palm and two fingers wide.
Make a cut down the middle of each "bugia" (so as to obtain two strips joined at the ends),
twist the side strips without breaking them,
fry them in hot oil or lard, and dust them with confectioners sugar when they’re cool.
This recipe is sufficient to make a platterful.
Should the dough have formed a crust while it sat,
knead it again before you roll it out.





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