Kids Fest: Carnivale

Elise is the Programs Manager, Community Engagement at the Immigration Museum.

Q:   Carnaval, Carnevale, Carnival, Kanaval, Karneval or Carnivale?

A:   Brazil, Italy, Jamaica, Haiti, Croatia and the Immigration Museum on Sunday 17 July 2011.

If you came along to the Immigration Museum on 17 July, you and 1230 others experienced carnival traditions from all of these places and more at our winter Kids Fest: Carnivale.

While Carnivale has its roots in pagan, Roman Catholic and Portuguese festival traditions, it is now celebrated in different ways and at different times of year in many countries all over the world. 

Crowd of visitors in the Immigration Museum Theatrette.
Image: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria

On festival day, you may have marvelled at the Magic Punch and Judy puppet show, with its characters that emerged from 16th century Italian Commedia dell’Arte theatre and are still popular costume choices for Italian Carnevale today.

Punch and Judy from the Magic Punch & Judy Puppet Show.
Source: EntertainOz 

You probably also joined Queen Jigzie and rapper Ru.CL to shake and shimmy your way through songs, dances and stories relating to Jamaican Carnival.

Kids enjoying Jamaican Carnival songs.
Image: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria

You created your own unique Rara instruments just like people do for Haitian rural Carnival processions, and used them during the Brazilian batucada percussion workshops.

 Making and playing percussive instruments
Image: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria

You rang in the festivities with Museum Victoria’s Federation Handbells and cooked up a New Orleans Mardi Gras King Cake with play dough and loads of glitter.      

You had your face painted as a Carnivale character or sported a Carnivale-inspired balloon creation, and made yourself an Italian mask or puppet, Brazilian headpiece or Guinea-Bissau bull mask.

Making an Italian Carnevale puppet.
Image: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria

And finally, you danced and displayed all your finery in the kids parade alongside our prancing peacock float.