Assignment 5.5 Read the text
IT´S CARNIVAL TIME!
At this time of year, in cities as different as Venice and Rio de Janeiro, men and women are putting on masks and unusual costumes. Why? Because it's carnival time! The carnival tradition began two thousand years ago, with the Roman winter festival of Saturnalia. During the festival, people from different classes ate together, drank together and sometimes slept together! With the arrival of the Christian religion, the Roman festival became a Christian one. The word 'carnival' means 'goodbye to meat'. For Christians, Carnival was a time when they ate well and had fun before 'Lent' – a time when Christians tried to eat less. Carnival always ended on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent began.
Carnival mostly takes place in countries like Spain, Italy and South America, countries with a strong Roman Catholic tradition. The most famous carnivals take place in Venice, Rio de Janeiro, and New Orleans. Today, the main idea of carnival is to wear costumes that change how you look and enjoy the fun. In Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans, there are exciting street parties with music and dancing. Thousands of people fill the streets, many in costume. In Rio it's traditional for men to dress as women at carnival time. In both cities, wonderful floats carrying people dressed in colourful costumes pass slowly through the streets. Musicians and dancers follow them. It's something that once you see, you don't forget!
In Europe, there are fancy dress dances and masked dances. People spend months making their costumes. The ten-day Venice carnival is probably the most famous European festival. The beautiful old houses and the green waters of the city make it an excellent place to have a carnival. It always begins in the famous Piazza San Marco, probably the most beautiful city square in the whole world. Thousands come to the carnival and sometimes Venice is so full of people that the entrance to the city has to be closed. The narrow streets are full of people in beautiful costumes. In the many squares of Venice, musicians play, and the theatres are always full.
All you need to become part of the carnival in Venice is a mask, and you can find these in every shop. You can buy the masks already painted if you want, but many people buy a simple white mask and paint it themselves. Once you have your mask, you should go to a masked dance. Or, if you're wearing a costume, you could win a fancy dress competition. In Venice the best masked dances are private, but there are many dances that are open to everyone, and they're great fun too.
In the last days of the carnival, there are parties by the side of the canals. Then on Shrove Tuesday there's always a big masked dance in the Piazza San Marco again. Above the square, fireworks light up the night sky. At midnight the bells ring above the square to tell you that it's the end of the festival. Then it's time to go home and become your ordinary self again . .
Assignment 5.6 True or false?
1. The carnival tradition began when Christianity arrived.
2. Christians eat less during carnival time.
3. People try to look different during a carnival.
4. In Rio de Janeiro, men often dress to look like the opposite sex.
5. The Venice carnival lasts less than a week.
6. It can be difficult to go to some masked dances in Venice because they are not
7. open to everyone.
8. Floats are an important part of the Venice carnival.
9. If you go to a masked dance you must wear fancy dress.
10. There’s more dancing in the streets in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans than in Venice.
11. Winning a fancy dress competition means that people think you are wearing the best costume.
12. If Venice becomes very full during the carnival, they stop people entering the city.
13. There are fireworks every day during the Venice festival.