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For over 200 years, the Stadttheater Königsberg ( Königsberg municipal theatre ) in Königsberg was one of the most respected theatres in Prussia and in the German Empire .

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97-490: The Königsberg theatre began with carnival games and school comedies at the beginning of the 16th century . In 1552, Conquest of Rome by Georg Sabinus was performed in the courtyard, and in 1573 The Fall of Man by the schoolmaster Roll. In 1605, Marie Eleonore of Cleves had English comedians perform for her in Königsberg Castle . In 1618, they played Shakespeare . The first opera, Cleomedes by Heinrich Albert ,

194-456: A circus . Elaborate costumes and masks allow people to set aside their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity. Participants often indulge in excessive consumption of alcohol, meat, and other foods that will be forgone during upcoming Lent. Traditionally, butter, milk, and other animal products were not consumed "excessively", rather, their stock was fully consumed during Shrovetide as to reduce waste. This festival

291-510: A Master Card Painter at Pest , and the date of its creation as 1837. Had he not chosen the Swiss characters of Schiller's play, had he chosen Hungarian heroes or freedom fighters, his deck of cards would never have made it into distribution, due to the heavy censorship by the government at the time . Although the characters on the cards are Swiss, these cards are unknown in Switzerland. Jose Rizal ,

388-563: A central role, from the Queen elections to the Grand Parade. Street parades continue in various districts throughout the month, with brass band, steelpan and roadmarch tunes. On the evening before Lent, Carnival ends with the symbolic burning of King Momo. Junkanoo is the principal street parade in the Bahamas, it has been practiced in the Bahamas before and after the 1834 emancipation of slavery in

485-433: A certain object or activity of desire. As such, during the season of Shrovetide, it is customary for Christians to ponder what Lenten sacrifices they will make for the coming Lent. The traditions of carrying Shrovetide rods and consuming Shrovetide buns after attending church are celebrated. On the final day of the season, Shrove Tuesday, many traditional Christians, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics, "make

582-408: A coherent festival or link these festivals. These similarities may represent a reservoir of cultural resources that can embody multiple meanings and functions. For example, Easter begins with the resurrection of Jesus , followed by a liminal period, and ends with rebirth . Carnival reverses this as King Carnival comes to life, and a liminal period follows before his death. Both feasts are calculated by

679-476: A common root. In early Christianity , Christ is figured as the victim of summary judgment , and is tortured and executed by Romans before a Jewish mob ("His blood is on us and on our children!" Matthew 27:24–25 ). Holy Week processions in Spain include crowds who vociferously insult the figure of Jesus. Irreverence, parody, degradation, and laughter at a tragicomic effigy of God can be seen as intensifications of

776-443: A day where all are meant to perform a "mask" that differs from their typical identity, all members of a society are able to connect through their theatricality and satire. Mircea Eliade , historian of religions, writes: "Any new year is a revival of time at its beginning, a repetition of the cosmogony. Ritual fights between two groups of extras, the presence of the dead, Saturnalia and orgies, are all elements which indicate that at

873-500: A food shortage at the end of the winter as stores ran out. Until spring produce was available, people were limited to the minimum necessary meals during this period. On what nowadays is called vastenavond (the days before fasting ), all the remaining winter stores of lard, butter, and meat which were left would be eaten, for these would otherwise soon start to rot and decay. The selected livestock had already been slaughtered in November and

970-466: A giant celebration that involved the whole community, and is thought to be the origin of Carnival. In many Christian sermons and texts, the example of a vessel is used to explain Christian doctrine: "the nave of the church of baptism", "the ship of Mary ", etc. The writings show that processions with ship-like carts were held and lavish feasts were celebrated on the eve of Lent or the greeting of spring in

1067-580: A hero tenor Wild was a welcome guest at Masovia, and the meeting with Karl Helmerding was a highlight. This well-educated comedian was a member of the Wallner Theatre  [ de ] . Franz Wallner  [ de ] , previously director of the German theatre in Poznan, had once taken over it, helped it to gain a good reputation and later even to give it its name. In the spring of 1859, Helmerding received

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1164-450: A historical and religious point of view, the Carnival therefore represented a period of celebration, but above all of symbolic renewal, during which chaos replaced the established order, which, however, once the festive period was over, re-emerged new or renewed and guaranteed for a cycle valid until the beginning of the following Carnival. From an anthropological point of view, Carnival is

1261-635: A long time, the most famous Carnival (although Napoleon abolished it in 1797 and only in 1979 was the tradition restored). From Italy, Carnival traditions spread to Spain, Portugal, and France, and from France to New France in North America. From Spain and Portugal, it spread with colonization to the Caribbean and Latin America . In the early 19th century in the German Rhineland and Southern Netherlands ,

1358-528: A marriage would be consummated as a fertility ritual . Tacitus wrote in his Germania : Germania 9.6: Ceterum nec cohibere parietibus deos neque in ullam humani oris speciem adsimulare ex magnitudine caelestium arbitrator – "The Germans, however, do not consider it consistent with the grandeur of celestial beings to confine the gods within walls, or to liken them to the form of any human countenance." Germania 40: mox vehiculum et vestis et, si credere velis, numen ipsum secreto lacu abluitur – "Afterwards

1455-467: A method of empowering themselves in spite of social conflicts. For example, when the Caribbean Carnival was established as a result of French settlers, even the slaves had their version of the masquerade , where they would reverse roles to mock those of higher social status. Along with empowering individuals for a period of time, despite their typical status, Carnival brings communities together. In

1552-469: A national holiday, when costume bands fill the streets with pulsating Barbadian rhythms and fireworks. San Pedro is one of Belize 's few cities to observe Carnaval before Lent. Elsewhere, Carnaval (sometimes referred to as Carnival) often occurs in September. The Fiesta de Carnaval is often the most popular celebration, usually held over three days prior to Ash Wednesday, but the festivities often extend to

1649-430: A new law throughout the land. I will----" The sentence is never finished; an arrow pierces his body. Clutching his breast, Gessler cries: "It is William Tell's work!... O Lord, have mercy on my soul!" Armgart rejoices: "Dead, dead! He reels, he falls!... Look, children! This is how a tyrant dies!" The shaft that killed Gessler ignites the signal fires of revolution, and at daybreak peasants and workingmen are tearing down

1746-527: A new theatre was built on the old site based on a design by Friedrich Gilly . After another fire, it was rebuilt in 1802. Director Steinberg brought Zacharias Werner 's Consecration of Power , Wallenstein and Mary Stuart in 1803, Nathan the Wise in 1804 and The Bride of Messina in 1807. At the beginning of the Coalition Wars , songs by Max von Schenkendorf were performed. In 1809 Racine 's tragedy Phèdre

1843-510: A pagan." Confession books from around 800 contain more information about how people would dress as an animal or old woman during the festivities in January and February, even though this was a sin with no small penance. Also in Spain in the seventh century, San Isidoro de Sevilla complained in his writings about people coming out into the streets disguised, in many cases, as the opposite sex. Gradually, ecclesiastical authority began to realize that

1940-518: A peasant woman, and her seven children. She cries to the Governor: "Mercy, my lord! Pardon!... Pardon!... My husband lies in prison. My children cry for bread. Pity, my lord, have pity on me!" Gessler shouts: "Step aside or, by Heaven, I'll ride you down!" Armgart throws herself and her children before the horses, crying out: "Very well, then ride us down." Gessler shouts: "I've been too mild a ruler to these people. From now on, I must change. I will proclaim

2037-802: A permanent theatre. With the money of businessman Friedrich Saturgus, Ackermann built the 300-seat theatre as the first in the Kingdom of Prussia . It was opened in 1755 with Racine 's "Mithridate" . Lessing 's Miss Sara Sampson followed. Fearing the Seven Years' War , Ackermann left Königsberg in 1756 and went to Leipzig . In 1768 Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel the Elder wrote the first theatre reviews in Johann Jakob Kanter's Königsberg Scholars and Political Newspapers . In 1769 director Karl Theophil Döbbelin performed Minna von Barnhelm . Caroline Schuch used

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2134-576: A play about the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell by his wife Lotte, who knew the country from her personal experience. After his friend, Johann Wolfgang Goethe , had returned from his second journey to the Lake of Lucerne in 1779, Schiller started collecting sources. Most of Schiller’s information about the history of the Swiss confederation is drawn from Aegidius Tschudi ’s Chronicon Helveticum (Latin: ‘Swiss Chronicle’), Johannes von Müller ’s History of

2231-591: A pure opera house, in 1924 it was merged with the New Playhouse to form the East Prussian State Theatre . The first performance of Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss took place in 1927. In 1928 the city acquired both theatres. The history of the theatre ended in World War II when it burned to the ground during the air raids on Königsberg at the end of August 1944. The following people worked at

2328-448: A reversal ritual, in which social roles are reversed and norms about desired behavior are suspended. During antiquity , winter was thought of as the reign of the winter spirits; these needed to be driven out in order for summer to return. Carnival can thus be regarded as a rite of passage from darkness to light, from winter to summer: a fertility celebration, the first spring festival of the new year. Several Germanic tribes celebrated

2425-426: A second arrow on your belt ... what was the object?" Tell answers: "If the first arrow had struck my child, the second would have gone through your heart." For this answer, Gessler orders him bound and taken to the prison at Küssnacht for his threat; but a great storm comes up which proves to be the huntsman's salvation. Since he alone can take the boat through the gale, his guards release his bonds and Tell steers to

2522-413: A shelving ledge, leaps out, and with his foot thrusts his captors' boat back into the waves. Now, he tells a fisherman, he is planning "a deed that will be in everybody's mouth!" Meanwhile, Bertha has been borne off by Gessler's men. Ulrich, who earlier had condemned his master for Tell's ordeal and had declared that to keep silent longer would be treason to his country and his King, has gone over wholly to

2619-529: A special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask God's help in dealing with." During Shrovetide, many churches place a basket in the narthex to collect the previous year's Holy Week palm branches that were blessed and distributed during the Palm Sunday liturgies. On Shrove Tuesday (the final day of Shrovetide), churches burn these palms to make

2716-518: A yearly prize. It has imported various Brazilian Carnival traditions. The celebration in São Nicolau is more traditional, where established groups parade through the Ribeira Brava , gathering in the town square , although it has adopted drums, floats and costumes from Brazil. In São Nicolau, three groups, Copa Cabana, Estrela Azul, and Brilho Da Zona, construct a painted float using fire, newspaper for

2813-633: Is a popular musical style. In all major cities and many towns throughout the country, Carnival is celebrated. The Humahuaca Carnival is a popular celebration, which takes place at the beginning of Lent (40 days before Holy Week), in the Quebrada de Humahuaca area, Jujuy province, Argentina. As Carnival coincides with summer in the Southern Hemisphere, in many parts of Argentina children play with water. The 19th century tradition of filling empty egg shells with water has evolved into water games that include

2910-473: Is a traditional harvest festival celebrated in Barbados . Its early beginnings were on the sugar cane plantations during the colonial period. Crop Over began in 1688, and featured singing, dancing, and accompaniment by shak-shak , banjo , triangle , fiddle , guitar, bottles filled with water, and bones. Other traditions included climbing a greased pole, feasting, and drinking competitions. Originally signaling

3007-783: Is celebrated during the last week before Great Lent . In German -speaking Europe and the Netherlands , the Carnival season traditionally opens on 11/11 (often at 11:11 a.m.). This dates back to celebrations before the Advent season or with harvest celebrations of St. Martin's Day . The word "Carnival" is of Christian origin. The Latin -derived name of the holiday is sometimes also spelled Carnaval , typically in areas where Dutch , French , Spanish , and Portuguese are spoken, or Carnevale in Italian -speaking contexts. Alternative names are used for regional and local celebrations. The word

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3104-574: Is held from the end of July to the first Tuesday in August. The most important day is that of the j'ouvert (or juvé ), in which brass and steelpan bands perform. Barbuda 's Carnival, held in June, is known as "Caribana". The Antiguan and Barbudan Carnivals replaced the Old Time Christmas Festival in 1957, with hopes of inspiring tourism. In Argentina , the most representative Carnival performed

3201-475: Is held in the capital city of Victoria and takes place over three days. On Day 1, the grand opening is held in the city center near the clock tower. The second day is parade day. On Day 3, the closing ceremony is held, and a lottery winner is announced. The Harare Carnival is held late in May. Events include fashion and music shows. The climax is a street party featuring costumes and music. The Antiguan Carnival

3298-695: Is in fact no evidence that they existed much before 1200." Because Lent was a period of fasting , "Carnival therefore represented a last period of feasting and celebration before the spiritual rigors of Lent." Meat was plentiful during this part of the Christian calendar and it was consumed during Carnival as people abstained from meat consumption during the following liturgical season, Lent. During Carnival, also known as Shrovetide, people confessed (shrived) their sins in preparation for Lent as well. Shakespeare's 1601 play, The Merchant of Venice , Scene 5 of Act 2, mentions Christians who painted their faces to celebrate

3395-403: Is known for being a time of great indulgence before Lent (which is a time stressing the opposite), with drinking, overeating, and various other activities of indulgence being performed. For example, pancakes , donuts, and other desserts are prepared and eaten for a final time. During Lent, dairy and animal products are eaten less, if at all, and individuals make a Lenten sacrifice , thus giving up

3492-473: Is said to come from the Late Latin expression carne levare , which means "remove meat"; a folk etymology derives it from carne vale , "farewell to meat". In either case, this signifies the approaching fast. The word carne may also be translated as flesh, producing "a farewell to the flesh", a phrase embraced by certain Carnival celebrants to embolden the festival's carefree spirit. The etymology of

3589-473: Is the calypso competition. Calypso music, originating in Trinidad, uses syncopated rhythm and topical lyrics. It offers a medium in which to satirise local politics, amidst the general bacchanal. Calypso tents, also originating in Trinidad, feature cadres of musicians who perform biting social commentaries, political exposés or rousing exhortations to "wuk dah waistline" and "roll dat bumper". The groups compete for

3686-515: Is the so-called Murga , although other famous Carnivals, more like Brazil's, are held in Argentine Mesopotamia and the North-East. Gualeguaychú in the east of Entre Ríos Province is the most important Carnival city and has one of the largest parades. It adopts a musical background similar to Brazilian or Uruguayan Carnival. Corrientes is another city with a Carnival tradition. Chamamé

3783-455: Is used to paint people on the streets, the goal being to paint as many people as you can." Street fights often occur during the festivities – some locals treat this festival as an opportunity to exact revenge on their enemies. Vandalism is common and "businesses constantly have to prepare in covering or repainting their advertisements during Carnival season because of the mischief performed." The tradition continues despite critics who advocate

3880-689: The Indiculus superstitionum et paganiarum ("small index of superstitious and pagan practices"), which was drafted by the Synod of Leptines in 742. It condemned the Spurcalibus en februario . Pope Gregory the Great (590–604) decided that fasting would start on Ash Wednesday. The whole Carnival event was set before the fasting, to set a clear division between celebrations and penitence. He also dispatched missionaries to sanctify any excesses in popular Carnival customs. It

3977-468: The Albertus pin  [ de ] were allowed to enter the ground floor for 6 Silbergroschen . In return, they were allowed to watch the performance free of charge. At the time, the students were in close contact with the actors and operas. They liked to socialise with the youth. They were not averse to the sympathies they had gained and thus a strong applause during the performances. Among other things,

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4074-651: The Singspiel between 1771 and 1787. In 1785 there were the first performances of The Robbers , The Fiesco Conspiracy in Genoa , Don Carlos and Clavigo . In 1788 the Schuch siblings brought The Abduction from the Seraglio , in 1793 Don Giovanni and in 1794 The Magic Flute . In 1795 the theatre burned down. Plays continued in the old town of Junkerhof. The first performance of The Marriage of Figaro took place there in 1798. In 1800

4171-410: The lunar calendar . Both Jesus and King Carnival may be seen as expiatory figures who make a gift to the people with their deaths. In the case of Jesus, the gift is eternal life in heaven , and in the case of King Carnival, the acknowledgement that death is a necessary part of the cycle of life. Besides Christian anti-Judaism , the commonalities between church and Carnival rituals and imagery suggest

4268-521: The British Empire. The Bahamas announced the first Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival to commence in May 2015. Carnival in the Bahamas rivals various carnivals throughout the Caribbean in that it is a unique blend between the revered Junkanoo and traditional Carnival. This fairly new festival has been referred to as the ultimate celebration of everything Bahamian. "Crop Over" (formerly called "Harvest Home")

4365-586: The Calypso Monarch Award, while the air is redolent with the smells of Bajan cooking during the Bridgetown Market Street Fair. The Cohobblopot Festival blends dance, drama, and music with the crowning of the King and Queen of costume bands. Every evening the "Pic-o-de-Crop" Show is performed after the King of Calypso is finally crowned. The climax of the festival is Kadooment Day, celebrated with

4462-455: The Emperor of Austria, has been assassinated by his own nephew John . One day, Tell's wife receives a visitor at their cottage; the visitor is dressed as a monk, but Tell soon recognizes him as John in disguise, fleeing his would-be captors. John, knowing that Tell has killed Gessler, expects approving words from the archer, who, instead, denounces John's crime. Nevertheless, Tell helps John flee, on

4559-590: The Governor laughs and says: "It is not your life I want, but the shot—the proof of your skill." The boy speaks up: "Shoot, Father! Don't be afraid. I promise to stand still." Tell removes two arrows from his quiver, puts one in his belt, takes aim and sends the other on its way. The boy remains standing. Walter runs to his father, crying: "Here's the apple, Father! I knew you'd never hit me!" Tell falls upon his knees to embrace his son, but Gessler has not finished with him. "A word with you, Tell," he commands. "I saw you place

4656-437: The Governor remarks that he has heard that Tell is a master of the bow. Walter boasts: "Yes, my lord! My father can hit an apple at a hundred yards!" Says Gessler: "Very well, you shall prove your skill now. Shoot an apple from the boy's head. If you miss, your own head shall pay the forfeit." The spectators are horrified. Tell falls upon his knees, imploring Gessler to withdraw so barbarous a command. He bares his own breast, but

4753-423: The Governor, never," says Tell. His opinion of the bloodthirsty Gessler is shared increasingly by the peasantry as the oppressor fills the old jails, builds a huge new prison at Altdorf for more victims, and sets his cap upon a pole before it, commanding that all who pass must bow to it or pay the penalty of death. Public anger is fanned into rebellion when Gessler blinds an aged man for a trifling misdemeanor. Tell,

4850-523: The Königsberg City Theatre: Carnival Carnival or Shrovetide is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period , consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday , and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras . Carnival typically involves public celebrations , including events such as parades , public street parties and other entertainments, combining some elements of

4947-515: The Swiss Confederation (German: Geschichten Schweizerischer Eidgenossenschaft ), as well as two chronicles of Petermann Etterlin and Johannes Stumpf . The fateful enmity of the tyrant Gessler , Governor of the Swiss cantons, and William Tell, an obscure huntsman, begins during a tempest on Lake Lucerne when Tell braves the angry waves to row to safety a peasant who is pursued by the Governor's horsemen. "The lake may take pity on him; but

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5044-509: The United Kingdom, West Indian immigrants brought with them the traditions of Caribbean Carnival ; however, the Carnivals now celebrated at Notting Hill , Leeds , Yorkshire, and other places became divorced from their religious origin and became secular events that take place in the summer months. Interpretations of Carnival present it as a social institution that degrades or "uncrowns"

5141-537: The ashes used during the services held on the very next day, Ash Wednesday. The term "Carnival" is traditionally used in areas with a large Catholic presence, as well as in Greece . The celebration is known as Fastelavn in historically Evangelical Lutheran countries. It is called Shrovetide in areas with a high concentration of Anglicans ( Church of England / US Episcopal Church ), Methodists , and other Protestants . In Slavic Eastern Orthodox nations, Maslenitsa

5238-603: The car, the vestments, and, if you like to believe it, the divinity herself, are purified in a secret lake." In the Middle Ages , Carnival referred to a period following Epiphany season that reached its climax before midnight on Shrove Tuesday . British historian John Bossy , in writing on the origin of the practices during Carnival, states that "These were, despite some appearances, Christian in character, and they were medieval in origin: although it has been widely supposed that they continued some kind of pre-Christian cult, there

5335-500: The condition that John expiate his crime as soon as possible. The first public performance of Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell was staged in Weimar under the direction of Johann Wolfgang Goethe on 17 March 1804. In the summers of 1912 to 1914 and again between 1931 and 1939, Schiller's play was staged in Interlaken . It was filmed in both German and English versions in 1934, both versions starring

5432-734: The desired result could not be achieved by banning Carnivals, which eventually led to a degree of Christianization of the traditions. They then became part of the liturgy and the liturgical year. In the Middle Ages, "Carnival and Lent were both necessary, inevitable episodes in the eternal cycle of the Church year." While forming an integral part of the Christian calendar, particularly in Catholic regions, many Carnival traditions resemble those antedating Christianity. While medieval pageants and festivals such as Corpus Christi were church-sanctioned, Carnival

5529-488: The direction of Max Staegemann and conducted by Emil Paur , the German premiere of Bizet's Carmen began, with which it began its global triumph. After the theatre collapsed again after 1890, the foyer was rebuilt and restaurants were added in 1893. In 1903 the theatre was fitted out with electrical lighting. At the beginning of the First World War , the theatre was rededicated as a hospital. Reopened on 27 August 1918 as

5626-540: The early Middle Ages. The Lenten period of the liturgical calendar , the six weeks directly before Easter , was historically marked by fasting, study, and other pious or penitential practices. During Lent, no parties or celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods, such as meat, dairy, fat, and sugar. The first three classes were often totally unavailable during this period because of late winter shortages. While Christian festivals such as Corpus Christi were Church-sanctioned celebrations, Carnival

5723-421: The end of the year and in the expectation of the new year the mythical moments of the passage of chaos to the cosmogony are repeated". Eliade also writes: "Then the dead will come back, because all barriers between the dead and the living are broken (is the primordial chaos not revived?), and will come back since – at this paradoxical moment – time will be interrupted, so that the dead may be again contemporaries of

5820-551: The end of the yearly cane harvest, it evolved into a national festival. In the late 20th century, Crop Over began to closely mirror the Trinidad Carnival. Beginning in June, Crop Over runs until the first Monday in August when it culminates in the finale, the Grand Kadooment. Crop Over time for many islanders is one big party. Craft markets, food tents/stalls, street parties, and cavalcades fill every week. A major feature

5917-452: The end, but the youth goes to join Gessler. While they are together hunting, however, Bertha reveals that she will love him only if he joins in the fight to liberate his own people from Gessler's grip. Tell prepares to pay a promised visit to his father-in-law, a leader of the rebellion, and his beautiful wife, fearful that the Governor counts him as an fearful enemy, asks him in vain to postpone

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6014-409: The entire period between Christmas and the beginning of Lent. In those two months, Christian populations used their several holidays as an outlet for their daily frustrations. Many synods and councils attempted to set things "right". Caesarius of Arles (470–542) protested around 500 CE in his sermons against the pagan practices. Centuries later, his statements were adapted as the building blocks of

6111-662: The famous Philippine revolutionary nationalist and author, translated the drama into his native Tagalog in 1886, having drawn much of his literary and political inspiration from Schiller and his works. During the 19th century, William Tell inspired many freedom fighters, e.g. in Italy and the Russian Empire. Although Schiller’s play was frequently staged during the Nazi regime , it was banned from public performance in 1941. Adolf Hitler, who had only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by

6208-425: The full week. This festival "always includes music, dancing, costumes and parades". Comparsas are held throughout the week, consisting of large groups "of dancers dancing and traveling on the streets, followed by a Carrosa (carriage) where the musicians play. The Comparsa is a development of African processions where groups of devotees follow a given saint or deity during a particular religious celebration." One of

6305-443: The higher functions of thought, speech, and the soul by translating them into the grotesque body , which serves to renew society and the world, as a release for impulses that threaten the social order that ultimately reinforces social norms, as a social transformation, or as a tool for different groups to focus attention on conflicts and incongruities by embodying them in "senseless" acts. Furthermore, some cultures use Carnival as

6402-429: The individualist, holds aloof from the rebels' councils, but promises his aid when needed. A friend of the peasants is the aged Baron of Attinghausen, but his nephew and heir, Ulrich of Rudenz, fascinated by the splendor of Gessler's court and love for Bertha, the Governor's ward, is allied with the tyrant. The Baron warns Ulrich that Bertha is being used only to bait him, and that the freedom-loving people will prevail in

6499-547: The living." Eliade speculates that people have "a deep need to regenerate themselves periodically by abolishing the elapsed time and making topical the cosmogony". As regards masks (monsters, animals, demons), he assigns them an apotropaic meaning. For the Canary Islands, see its section under Europe. Carnival was introduced by Portuguese settlers. It is celebrated on each of the archipelago's nine inhabited islands. In Mindelo , São Vicente , groups challenge each other for

6596-428: The meat would no longer be preservable. All the food that had survived the winter had to be eaten to assure that everyone was fed enough to survive until the coming spring would provide new food sources. Traditionally, the feast also was a time to indulge in sexual desires , which were supposed to be suppressed during the following period fasting. Before Lent began, all rich food and drink were consumed in what became

6693-435: The mold, and iron and steel for structure. Carnival São Nicolau is celebrated over three days: dawn Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday. The celebrations are captured in the award-winning feature documentary Tchindas , nominated at the 12th Africa Movie Academy Awards . Carnival was introduced by German settlers. The celebration is based on the "Rheinische" Carnival tradition. The Seychelles carnival began in 2011. It

6790-437: The most popular comparsas of Fiesta de Carnaval is the male group comparsa, usually composed of notable men from the community who dress up in outlandish costumes or cross-dress and dance to compete for money and prizes. Other popular activities include body painting and flour fighting. "On the last day of Carnival painters flood the street to paint each other. This simply means that a mixture of water paint and water or raw eggs

6887-420: The peasants and is acclaimed their leader. He directs that they arm and wait for a fiery signal on the mountain tops, then swoop down upon the tyrant. A more ominous figure in the revolt, however, is hidden upon the brow of a hill overlooking a road. Tell, with his crossbow ready in his hand, awaits Gessler, who is expected to enter the pass below. Gessler soon appears with his retinue. His way is barred by Armgart,

6984-603: The play are used in the national deck of cards of Hungary and Austria and are known as Tell pattern cards. The deck was born around 1835 in the times before the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 , when revolutionary movements were awakening all over in Europe. The Aces show the four seasons . These cards spread across the Austro-Hungarian Empire and are still the most common German-suited playing cards in that part of

7081-497: The prisons. In one they find Bertha; they rescue her just as burning timbers are about to fall on her. The liberated peasants, with Ulrich and Bertha among them, now throng Tell's home with the cry: "Long live William Tell, our shield and saviour!" Bertha, greeting the commoners as comrades, asks to be accepted into their League of Freedom. Her request is granted and she gives her hand to Ulrich. He proclaims: "And from this moment all my serfs are free!" But soon word comes that Albert ,

7178-402: The returning of the daylight. Winter would be driven out, to make sure that fertility could return in spring. A central figure of this ritual was possibly the fertility goddess Nerthus . Also, there are some indications that the effigy of Nerthus or Freyr was placed on a ship with wheels and accompanied by a procession of people in animal disguise and men in women's clothes. Aboard the ship

7275-502: The sacred order. In 1466, in festivies sponsored by Pope Paul II , Jews were forced to race naked through the streets of the city of Rome. Clement IX stopped these practices and in their place assessed a heavy tax on the Jews to help pay for the costs of the city's Carnival celebrations. Some of the best-known traditions, including carnal parades and masquerade balls , were first recorded in medieval Italy . The Carnival of Venice was, for

7372-750: The same leading actors ( Conrad Veidt was Gessler). Since 1947 the play has been performed annually in Interlaken at the Tellspiele . In 2004 Schiller’s play was staged for the first time at the Rütli Meadow (German: Rütliwiese ), on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. Since 1938 it has also been performed every Labor Day weekend in New Glarus, Wisconsin in English , and until recently also in German . The characters of

7469-410: The season: What, are there masques? Hear you me, Jessica: Lock up my doors, and when you hear the drum And the vile squealing of the wry-nck'd fife, Clamber not you up o the casements then, Nor thrust your head into the public street To gaze on Christian fools with varnish'd faces. Traditionally, a Carnival feast was the last opportunity for common people to eat well, as there was typically

7566-400: The side of his people. But he returns too late to find the old Baron of Attinghausen alive; his uncle has died with this injunction to the peasants: "The day of the nobles is passing. The new day of the people is at hand ... the flower of chivalry is cut down, but freedom waves her conquering flag on high.... Hold fast together, men—hold forever fast.... Be one—be one—be one----" Ulrich rallies

7663-573: The source of both the name and the parade floats . The characteristics of the celebration of Carnival take their origins from ancient European festivals, such as the Greek Dionysian (the Anthesteria ) or the Roman Saturnalia . During these festivities, there was a temporary release from social obligations and hierarchies to make way for the overthrow of order, joking and even debauchery. From

7760-519: The termination of these festivities. William Tell (play) William Tell ( German : Wilhelm Tell , German pronunciation: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈtɛl] ) is a drama written by Friedrich Schiller in 1804 . The story focuses on the legendary Swiss marksman William Tell as part of the greater Swiss struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire in the early 14th century. Gioachino Rossini 's four-act opera Guillaume Tell

7857-680: The throwing of water balloons . Carnival in Aruba means weeks of events that bring colourfully decorated floats, contagiously throbbing music, luxuriously costumed groups of celebrants of all ages, King and Queen elections, electrifying jump-ups and torchlight parades, the Jouvert morning: the Children's Parades, and finally the Grand Parade. Aruba's biggest celebration is a month-long affair consisting of festive "jump-ups" (street parades), spectacular parades, and creative contests. Music and flamboyant costumes play

7954-418: The trip to later. Tell insists that he has nothing to fear, and sets off with his crossbow, accompanied by Walter, his son. They pass the prison where Tell, failing to salute the Governor's cap, is seized by a guardsman. Several peasants are trying to rescue him when the Governor's hunting party rides up and Gessler demands an explanation from the huntsman. Tell declares his failure to salute was an oversight, and

8051-490: The usual storms of applause as a guest in Königsberg. He was introduced to Masovia by a colleague. He liked it there so much that he invited all the young corps brothers to a big cab and coffee table ride to Hufen , which was in front of the fortress belt at that time. The return of the many carriages that made their way through the city to the theatre, roused with songs, only increased the artist's evening success. In 1879, under

8148-504: The weakened medieval tradition also revived. Continuously in the 18th and 19th centuries CE, as part of the annual abuse of the Carnival in Rome, rabbis of the ghetto were forced to march through the city streets wearing foolish guise, jeered upon and pelted by a variety of missiles from the crowd. A petition of the Jewish community of Rome sent in 1836 to Pope Gregory XVI to stop the annual abuse

8245-582: The word Carnival thus points to a Christian origin of the celebratory period. Other scholars argue that the origin of the word is a common meat-based country feast (in Latin carnualia ) or the festival of the Navigium Isidis ("ship of Isis"), where the image of Isis was carried to the seashore to bless the start of sailing season. The festival consisted of a parade of masks following an adorned wooden boat, called in Latin carrus navalis , possibly

8342-578: The world today. Characters portrayed on the Obers and Unters include: Hermann Geszler, Walter Fürst, Rudolf Harras and William Tell. It was long believed that the card was invented in Vienna at the Card Painting Workshop of Ferdinand Piatnik , however in 1974 the very first deck was found in an English private collection, and it has shown the name of the inventor and creator of deck as József Schneider,

8439-430: The young Swiss Maurice Bavaud (who was later dubbed the “New William Tell” by Rolf Hochhuth ), is reported to have publicly announced his regret that Friedrich Schiller had immortalized the Swiss sniper William Tell (“Ausgerechnet Schiller musste diesen Schweizer Heckenschützen verherrlichen” – "Of all people Schiller had to glorify this Swiss sniper"). The play has been the subject of various film adaptations, notably

8536-455: Was also a manifestation of European folk culture . In the Christian tradition, fasting is to commemorate the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the desert , according to the New Testament , and also to reflect on Christian values. It was a time for catechumens (those converting to Christianity ) to prepare for baptism at Easter. Carnival in the Middle Ages took not just a few days, but almost

8633-588: Was also a manifestation of medieval folk culture . Many local Carnival customs are claimed to derive from local pre-Christian rituals, such as elaborate rites involving masked figures in the Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht . However, evidence is insufficient to establish a direct origin from Saturnalia or other ancient festivals. No complete accounts of Saturnalia survive, and the shared features of feasting, role reversals, temporary social equality, masks, and permitted rule-breaking do not necessarily constitute

8730-565: Was also the custom during Carnival that the ruling class would be playfully mocked using masks and disguises . In the year 743, the synod in Leptines (located near Binche in Belgium) spoke out furiously against the excesses in the month of February. Also from the same period dates the phrase: "Whoever in February by a variety of less honorable acts tries to drive out winter is not a Christian, but

8827-571: Was denied: "It is not opportune to make any innovation." In the Rhineland in 1823, the first modern Carnival parade took place in Cologne . Carnaval ( Karneval , Fasching or Fastnacht in Germany) mixed pagan traditions with Christian traditions. Pre-Lenten celebrations featured parades, costumes and masks to endure Lent's withdrawal from worldly pleasures. Other areas developed their own traditions. In

8924-454: Was performed by students in 1635 before Władysław IV Vasa . In 1688 Christopher Marlowe 's The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus was performed. Arranged by director Hilferding, the Schönemann company played Dr. Faustus, Molière's Tartuffe and Gottsched 's The Dying Cato . In 1753 Frederick the Great donated Kreytzenschen Square to the theatre director Konrad Ernst Ackermann to build

9021-524: Was staged. After that the theatre became a concert and society centre. The foundation stone for the municipal theatre was laid in 1806 by the Minister for East Prussia of the German Empire Friedrich von Schrötter on Paradeplatz (Königsberg) ). The building, designed by Johann Valerian Müller  [ de ] , stood partly on the foundations of the garrison church  [ de ] that

9118-501: Was still under construction. On 9 March 1808, director Carl Steinberg opened it in the presence of the court with the opera La clemenza di Tito . For unexplained reasons, the building burned down on 1 July 1808. The reopening took place in the presence of the royal couple in December 1809 with the festival The Consecration . The theatre premiered William Tell ( Schiller ) in 1810, and The Maid of Orleans in 1811. August von Kotzebue

9215-466: Was the artistic director. In 1815, Iphigenia in Tauris and Götz von Berlichingen were performed. In 1819, director Hurray brought the first performances of Fidelio and Der Freischütz . After the collapse of the theatre in 1828 and the dissolution of the ensemble, The Broken Jug premiered in 1830 and Faust in 1832. The world premiere of The Last Held of Marienburg by Joseph von Eichendorff in 1831

9312-485: Was unsuccessful. The composer Richard Wagner was Kapellmeister at the city theatre from 1836 to 1837. In 1836 he married the actress Minna Planer , who was engaged there, in the Tragheim Church . In 1854 the theatre received gas lighting. For years, German Student Corps from Corps Littuania  [ de ] and Corps Masovia acted as doormen. They had to make sure that only students who had been designated by

9409-399: Was written to a French adaptation of Schiller's play. The play was written by Friedrich Schiller between 1803 and 1804, and published that year in a first edition of 7000 copies. Since its publication, Schiller’s William Tell has been translated into many languages. Friedrich Schiller (who had never been to Switzerland , but was well informed, being a historian) was inspired to write

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