Carnivals, Masked Balls, Penis Parades and Goats.

In lieu of this week’s class not running as it is of course Paddy’s day, I have decided to talk about carnivals, festivals and parade designs around the world. I often think about how strange it is that our tiny islands national holiday is celebrated by millions around the globe. People don their Irish jerseys, sings tunes and tell anyone that will listen that their granny’s, cousins, friends toenail fell in a pint of Guinness once. You don’t see Switzerland, England or Belgium having rivers and buildings dyed and illuminated in their national colours do ya?. We are punching well above our weight that’s for sure. It may be for our charm, or our slight alcoholic tendencies but on the 17th of March, everyone wants to be Irish.

The Carnevale di Venezia is one of the most famous carnivals around the world, and is a charming characteristic of the city. Partygoers wear ornate masks just as they did in centuries past. However, traditionally, the masks were worn to hide the wearers identity and for social status. The mask obviously permitted the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention. It was useful for a variety of purposes, some of them illicit or criminal, other personal, such as romantic encounters. Creating masks is, indeed, an art in Venice, a tradition dating back hundreds of years, making the carnival of Venice truly unique. I visited Venice for a day last summer and these masks could be seen being sold by street merchants along the busy streets and it did give a little glimpse into the magic of the city and it’s history. (themascherede, 2020)

One of the weirder festivals has to be the Kanamara Matsuri Festival in Japan. Dedicated to all things phallic, this religious festival features penis-shaped lollipops, novelty penis glasses, giant penis statues, penis-themed souvenirs, phallic vegetable carving workshops…..well you get the gist. The Japanese spring festival is held as a prayer for fertility, smooth marital relationships, and business prosperity. It is, first of all, a sacred event born out of the sincere wish for a festival that anyone could enjoy without being discriminated. (Matcha-jp.com, 2018)

I couldn’t write a post like this without mentioning some of our own weird but wonderful festivals. The obvious one, The Ploughing match where people come from all over the country to see some lads in check shirts drive in a straight line. Among this, the weekend boasts fashion shows, cake competitions, art and craft shows and dozens of stalls selling all kinds of crafts from rosary beads to dog toys. Ireland also has festivals for sheep shearing, bog snorkeling, trad music and even a Scarecrow festival where people compete to build the biggest and indeed the best scarecrow. But I have to say, my favourite Irish festival is the Puck Fair in Kilorglin, Co. Kerry. There’s something captivating about taking a goat down from the mountain and sticking it up on forty foot of scaffolding, crowning it the King Puck and then releasing it back onto the mountain. It sort of captivates the wild, untamed, pagan nature of the Irish. There’s no program of events because, why would there be it’s rural Ireland, just whatever ye’ feel like doing after you’ve seen the goat. Now it may be the culchy in me but that should be, in my opinion our national landmark. Our very own Statue of Liberty. Put it at the arrival gates in our airports so tourists know what they're in for. Screw the Spire, stick a goat in the middle of O’Connell street, what could go wrong.

(theringofkerry.com, 2020)