Carnevale di Viareggio, or the Carnival of Viareggio, has been happening in Viareggio, Italy since 1873! The celebration takes place on Mardi Gras and leads up to the Christian holiday of Lent. It is a month-long parade of colorful flowers, masquerade masks, floats and local parties.
The tradition that I discovered here is the carnival that takes place in the town of Viareggio which is in the Tuscan hillside. During this celebration, everyone dresses up in masks and fun costumes. It is essentially the equivalent of our American Halloween!
The tradition was started because of an argument over politics. The people were not happy to be paying high taxes so they took to the streets with masks and decorated their carts with beautiful flowers in protest. Today, the satirical political influence can still be seen as the floats feature the images of current world leaders, but it is no longer a parade of protest.
This tradition is very closely tied to its environment because it uses the flowers grown locally in the Tuscan hillsides. Without these flowers, the tradition would never have been able to start!
