Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
47. Is Carnival a Pagan Festival?
Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
Alessandro Testa [+]
Charles University, Prague
Alessandro Testa (Isernia 1983) is a Research Fellow at the Department of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague. He has a background in Classics, History, Religious Studies, and Anthropology. In the last 15 years he has studied, worked, or undertaken ethnographic fieldwork in Italy, France, Estonia, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and Catalonia (Spain). His publications include a large number of articles in journals and chapters in volumes, and three books (Miti antichi e moderne mitologie. Saggi di storia delle religioni e storia degli studi sul mondo antico, 2010; Il carnevale dell’uomo-animale, 2014; La religiosità dei Sanniti, 2016).
Description
Carnival is a festival with nearly a thousand years of history that draws heavily from pre-existing European ritual celebrations, including ancient Roman festivals. Initially connected to the Christian liturgical calendar and the period of Lent, Carnival integrated religious observances with festive indulgence. Although often condemned as “pagan” or diabolical, Carnival flourished among the European populace. Over time, Carnival transformed, experiencing a recent revival, as a form of cultural reappropriation.