CARNIVAL ( Tt. earncrale, or probably from Med. Lat. rarnrlera Men , a from the flesh. but commonly derived by popular etymology from Lat. ea•ni rale, farewell to flesh, or It. corn( rale, farewell, The days of revelry immediately before the beginning of Lent. The origin of this celebration is almost as ob scure as the derivation of the name, for which several theories have been suggested, none of them entirely satisfactory. There is very lit tle doubt that the custom is in a sense a survival of the old Roman festival of the Lupercalia (q.v.), which was hell at the same season of the year, and that the Church, as in so many other instances (see BONFIRE) , attempted to regulate and sanctify what it could not entirely suppress. The same spirit of compromise marked the atti tude of the popes toward it throughout the 3141 dle Ages. As secular rulers they were disinclined altogether to suppress an observance which pro moted the material prosperity of the city; yet as pastors of souls they could not look with complacency upon the frequently unrestrained license attending its celebration. Several of the more spiritually minded popes made a practice of spending the season in strict retirement, to avoid witnessing the disorders which they could not altogether prevent: the time, which original ly extended from the feast of the Epiphany (January 6) to Ash Wednesday, was restricted to eight and filially to three days; and a number of minute regulations have always reminded the populace of the existence of a superior authori ty. The celebration was usually suspended in the years of jubilee (q.v.), and the funds gener ally expended on the carnival diverted to the entertainment of needy pilgrims, the Jews being compelled to contribute to that purpose the tax laid upon them for the purposes of the carnival.
In modern times Rome has continued the principal seat of these observances, although other Italian cities, notably Venice, have dis played great splendor, and the Parisians, never averse to an occasion for merrsmaking, indulge in elaborate revels. A long-established custom
in Paris has been to lead in the procession a fat ox (brruf gras, whence Mardi Gras) followed in a triumphal car by a child called 'the king of the butchers.' Otherwise few of the traditional fes tivities are kept alive, except the throwing of confetti or sweetmeats and flowers, the blowing of horns, the masked balls (see Mastitis:RADE), and the parades of allegorical chariots. In Italy after the gayeties of the last day, Mardi Gras, the death. of the carnival is symbolized by the burning of a huge effigy; and the crowds in the streets carry lighted tapers (moceoletti), each endeavoring to extinguish those of his neighbors and keep his own alight. In tho United States the principal observance of Mardi Gras is that which has been carried out in New Orleans with great pomp and splendor since I857. On this day the whole'city is turned over to the rule of `King Rex, who passes through the streets es corted by his body-guard, the mystic krewe of Comus' and various military and visiting or ganizations. In the evening occurs the great street pageant, in which are displayed elaborate tableaux, placed on moving forms and brilliantly illuminated. These represent noted scenes of history, poetry, or fiction, and are constructed at great expense and with artistic elegance. All the arrangements are under the control of socie ties composed of the best-known professional and business men of the city. Consult: RosiSres, Histcrire de hi socit'le fra»eaise au mope» lige (Paris, 1880) ; Story, Rota di Roma (London, 1862). Byron's Bespo, and the second part of (foethe's Italienisehe lielSCPI, also contain vivid descriptions of the Italian carnival of a century ago. See BLUE MONDAY ; LOLLOP MONDAY; SHROVETIDE.