Think of carnival, and you think of crowds, costumes, and confusion.
想到狂歡節你就會想到群眾、服裝和混亂。
The sounds and sights change from one country to another but the excitement is the same everywhere.
隨著國家的變化聽到的和看到的都是不同的，但是任何地方人們都是興奮的。
“Carnival” comes from two Latin words, meaning “no more meat”
“狂歡節”是由倆個拉丁詞演變而來的，它的意思是“不要吃肉”。
In Europe, where it began, carnival was followed by forty days without meat, as people prepared for the Christian festival of Easter.
歐洲是狂歡節的發源地，在接近狂歡節的四十天裡是不能吃肉的，人們準備迎接基督教的“復活節’。
People saw Carnival as a last chance to have fun at the end of the winter season. Having fun meant eating, drinking, and dressing up.
人們把狂歡節做為冬天結束前最後的一個玩樂機會，盡情的吃喝玩了、打扮。
The most famous carnival in Europe was in Venice.
歐洲最著名的狂歡節是在威尼斯。
At the beginning, it lasted for just one day. People ate, drank, and wore masks.
剛開始的時候，狂歡節只持續了一天。人們會吃喝玩樂並且會帶上面具。
As time passed, however, the carnival period was extended, so that it began just after Christmas.
隨著時間的推移，狂歡節的時間被延長了，所以狂歡節在聖誕節過後就開始了。
For weeks on end people walked round the streets wearing masks, doing what they wanted without being recognised.
連續幾個星期人們都會戴著面具在大街上四處走動，做他們想做的任何事並且不會被人們認出來。
Ordinary people could pretend to be rich and important, while famous people could have romantic adventures in secret.
普通人可以裝扮成富有人和重要人物，然而有名的人可以密密的有一個浪漫的奇遇。
Many crimes went unpunished. The government realised that wearing masks had become a problem.
許多罪犯都不會被懲罰。政府意識到了戴面具成了一個問題了。
Their use was limited by laws, the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century.
面具的使用受到了法律的限制最早出現在十四世紀。
Men were not allowed to wear masks at night; and they were not allowed to dress up as women.
男人不允許在夜晚戴面具並且不被允許裝扮成女性。
In later times more laws were passed.
在那以後有更多的法律出現了
People who wore masks could not carry firearms; and no one could enter a church wearing a mask.
戴面具的人不可以攜帶火器也不可以進入教堂。
If they broke the laws, they were put into prison for up to two years.
如果他們打破了這條法律，他們就會被關到監獄裡長達兩年的。
Finally, when Venice became part of the Austrian empire, at the end of the eighteenth century, masks were banned completely, and carnival became just a memory.
But in the late 1970s the tradition was revived by students.
但是在二十世紀七十年代後期，這個傳統又被學生恢復了。
They began making masks and organising parties, and threw bits of brightly coloured paper (called coriandoli) at tourists.
他們開始製造面具組織集會並且向遊人拋撒小塊彩色紙片。
The town council realised that carnival was good for business, and the festival was developed for tourists.
這個小鎮議會認識到狂歡節有益於商業並且這個節日吸引了遊客。
Today, carnival in Venice is celebrated for five days in February.
今天，威尼斯的狂歡節會在二月開始持續五天
People arrive from all over Europe to enjoy the fun. Hotels are fully booked and the narrow streets are crowded with wonderful costumes.
來自歐洲各地的人們都會來著盡情的享受狂歡節的樂趣。旅店被訂滿狹窄的街道被穿著美麗服飾的人所積滿。
German, French and English seem to be the main languages.
德語、法語、英語似乎成了主要語言
But the spirit of Venice carnival is not quite the same as the great American carnivals.
但是威尼斯狂歡節和美國的狂歡節是有很大不同的。
If the key to Rio is music and movement, then in Venice it is the mystery of the mask.
如果里約熱內盧主要的是音樂和遊行，而在威尼斯則是神秘的面具。
As you wander through the streets, you see thousands of masks—elegant or frightening, sad or amusing, traditional or modern-- but you have no idea what the faces behind them look like.
The Magic of the Mask
Think of carnival, and you think of crowds, costumes, and confusion.
想到狂歡節你就會想到群眾、服裝和混亂。
The sounds and sights change from one country to another but the excitement is the same everywhere.
隨著國家的變化聽到的和看到的都是不同的，但是任何地方人們都是興奮的。
“Carnival” comes from two Latin words, meaning “no more meat”
“狂歡節”是由倆個拉丁詞演變而來的，它的意思是“不要吃肉”。
In Europe, where it began, carnival was followed by forty days without meat, as people prepared for the Christian festival of Easter.
歐洲是狂歡節的發源地，在接近狂歡節的四十天裡是不能吃肉的，人們準備迎接基督教的“復活節’。
People saw Carnival as a last chance to have fun at the end of the winter season. Having fun meant eating, drinking, and dressing up.
人們把狂歡節做為冬天結束前最後的一個玩樂機會，盡情的吃喝玩了、打扮。
The most famous carnival in Europe was in Venice.
歐洲最著名的狂歡節是在威尼斯。
At the beginning, it lasted for just one day. People ate, drank, and wore masks.
剛開始的時候，狂歡節只持續了一天。人們會吃喝玩樂並且會帶上面具。
As time passed, however, the carnival period was extended, so that it began just after Christmas.
隨著時間的推移，狂歡節的時間被延長了，所以狂歡節在聖誕節過後就開始了。
For weeks on end people walked round the streets wearing masks, doing what they wanted without being recognised.
連續幾個星期人們都會戴著面具在大街上四處走動，做他們想做的任何事並且不會被人們認出來。
Ordinary people could pretend to be rich and important, while famous people could have romantic adventures in secret.
普通人可以裝扮成富有人和重要人物，然而有名的人可以密密的有一個浪漫的奇遇。
Many crimes went unpunished. The government realised that wearing masks had become a problem.
許多罪犯都不會被懲罰。政府意識到了戴面具成了一個問題了。
Their use was limited by laws, the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century.
面具的使用受到了法律的限制最早出現在十四世紀。
Men were not allowed to wear masks at night; and they were not allowed to dress up as women.
男人不允許在夜晚戴面具並且不被允許裝扮成女性。
In later times more laws were passed.
在那以後有更多的法律出現了
People who wore masks could not carry firearms; and no one could enter a church wearing a mask.
戴面具的人不可以攜帶火器也不可以進入教堂。
If they broke the laws, they were put into prison for up to two years.
如果他們打破了這條法律，他們就會被關到監獄裡長達兩年的。
Finally, when Venice became part of the Austrian empire, at the end of the eighteenth century, masks were banned completely, and carnival became just a memory.
最後，在十八世紀末的時候當威尼斯成為奧地利帝國的一部分時，面具徹底被禁止了，狂歡節只是變成了一個記憶。
But in the late 1970s the tradition was revived by students.
但是在二十世紀七十年代後期，這個傳統又被學生恢復了。
They began making masks and organising parties, and threw bits of brightly coloured paper (called coriandoli) at tourists.
他們開始製造面具組織集會並且向遊人拋撒小塊彩色紙片。
The town council realised that carnival was good for business, and the festival was developed for tourists.
這個小鎮議會認識到狂歡節有益於商業並且這個節日吸引了遊客。
Today, carnival in Venice is celebrated for five days in February.
今天，威尼斯的狂歡節會在二月開始持續五天
People arrive from all over Europe to enjoy the fun. Hotels are fully booked and the narrow streets are crowded with wonderful costumes.
來自歐洲各地的人們都會來著盡情的享受狂歡節的樂趣。旅店被訂滿狹窄的街道被穿著美麗服飾的人所積滿。
German, French and English seem to be the main languages.
德語、法語、英語似乎成了主要語言
But the spirit of Venice carnival is not quite the same as the great American carnivals.
但是威尼斯狂歡節和美國的狂歡節是有很大不同的。
If the key to Rio is music and movement, then in Venice it is the mystery of the mask.
如果里約熱內盧主要的是音樂和遊行，而在威尼斯則是神秘的面具。
As you wander through the streets, you see thousands of masks—elegant or frightening, sad or amusing, traditional or modern-- but you have no idea what the faces behind them look like.
當你走在街上時你會看到成千上萬的面具----精美的、令人恐懼的、悲傷的、有趣的、傳統的、現代的，但是你卻不知道面具之後的臉你卻不知道。
Nobody takes them off，If the masks come off, the magic is lost.
沒有人把面具摘下，如果面具摘掉了的話，魔力就消失了。