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Gnaga
The gnaga is a type of mask originating in Venice. The mask depicts the face of a cat and was historically worn by male prostitutes and cross-dressers, particularly during the Carnival of Venice. The mask covers the top half of the face and is traditionally made of papier-mâché. Etymology The word derives from , a Venetian language, Venetian-language onomatopoeia representing the meow of a cat. People that wear the gnaga are known as . History During the 16th century in the Republic of Venice, homosexuality was illegal and punishable by death by hanging and burning in Piazza San Marco. However, Venetian law stipulated that people could not be arrested for crimes committed while performing as a masked character during the Carnival of Venice. According to local legend, male homosexual prostitutes wore cat masks and performed as women to avoid arrest for their sexuality. Gnaga performers often wore dresses and carried baskets of kittens with them. Occasionally they pretended to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnival Of Venice
The Carnival of Venice (; ) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy, famous throughout the world for its elaborate costumes and masks. The Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday (''Martedì Grasso'' or Mardi Gras), which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The Carnival traces its origins to the Middle Ages, existing for several centuries until it was abolished in 1797. The tradition was revived in 1979, and the modern event now attracts approximately 3 million visitors annually. History According to legend, the Carnival of Venice began after the military victory of the Venetian Republic over the patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrich II, in the year 1162. In honour of this, the people started to dance and gather in St Mark's Square. Apparently, this festival started in that period and became official during the Renaissance. In the 17th century, the Baroque Carnival preserved the prestigious image of Venice in the world. It was very famous during the 18th century. It en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LGBTQ History In Italy
This article is about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) history in Italy. BCE * 5th millennium BC - Examples of homosexual eroticism in Upper Paleolithic or Mesolithic European art in Sicily. In Addaura incision is a group of people dancing around two men, both with erections, possibly indicating a homoerotic ritual. *530 BC – One of the earliest examples of Etruscan art on homosexuality, found in 1892 in the Necropolis of Monterozzi near Tarquinia. The painting, situated in what has been called the Tomb of the Bulls (Italian: ''Tomba dei Tori''), depicts on the right a bull with a man's face (Achelous, Acheloos) and an erect phallus that is aggressively approaching two men having sexual intercourse. On the left, another bull is turned around, as though indifferent, in front of men and women having sexual intercourse. The women are consistently depicted in light tones, while the men are brown. Under the frieze is Achilles (on the left) waylaying Troilus. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ponte Delle Tette
Ponte delle Tette is a small bridge over the Rio di San Canciano in the parish of San Cassiano, Venice, Italy, in the sestieres of San Polo. It takes its name ("Bridge of the Tits") from the use of the bridge by prostitutes, who were encouraged to stand topless on the bridge and in nearby windows to entice and convert suspected homosexuals. History The Serenissima restricted prostitution in Venice to the area ''Carampane di Rialto'' by official decree in 1412. The prostitutes were severely restricted in their movement and behaviour. The buildings of the area had become property of the Serenissima when the last of the rich Rampani family had died without an heir. A curfew was imposed on them, and they could not leave the area except on Saturdays, when they had to wear a yellow scarf, as opposed to the white scarf of a marriageable woman. They could not work on certain holy days, with transgression of the rules sometimes resulting in flogging. During the 16th century, the prostitut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express oneself. Socialization establishes social norms among the people of a particular society. With regard to the social aspects of clothing, such standards may reflect guidelines relating to the style, color, or type of clothing that individuals are expected to wear. Such expectations may be delineated according to gender roles. Cross-dressing involves dressing contrary to the prevailing standards (or in some cases, laws) for a person of their gender in their own society. The term "cross-dressing" refers to an action or a behavior, without attributing or implying any specific causes or motives for that behavior. Cross-dressing is not synonymous with being transgender. Terminology The phenomenon of cross-dressing is seen throughout recorded histor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cats In Art
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as a pet and working cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. Its retractable claws are adapted to killing small prey species such as mice and rats. It has a strong, flexible body, quick reflexes, and sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator. Cat intelligence is evident in their ability to adapt, learn through observation, and solve problems. Research has shown they possess strong memories, exhibit neuroplasticity, and display cognitive skills comparable t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masks In Europe
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, as well as in the performing arts and for entertainment. They are usually worn on the face, although they may also be positioned for effect elsewhere on the wearer's body. In art history, especially sculpture, "mask" is the term for a face without a body that is not modelled in the round (which would make it a "head"), but for example appears in low relief. Etymology The word "mask" appeared in English in the 1530s, from Middle French ''masque'' "covering to hide or guard the face", derived in turn from Italian ''maschera'', from Medieval Latin ''masca'' "mask, specter, nightmare". This word is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Arabic ''maskharah'' مَسْخَرَۃٌ "buffoon", from the verb ''sakhira'' "to ridicule". However, it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnival Costumes
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) 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 party, celebrations, including events such as parades, public street party, street parties and other entertainments, combining some elements of a circus. Elaborate costumes and masks allow people to set aside their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity.Bakhtin, Mikhail. 1984. ''Rabelais and his world''. Translated by H. Iswolsky. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Original edition, ''Tvorchestvo Fransua Rable i narodnaia kul'tura srednevekov'ia i Renessansa'', 1965. 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", r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pup Play
Pup play or puppy play is a form of fetishistic animal play where participants adopt a canine personality known as "pups", through apparel and dog-like behaviors. Overview Puppy play is defined as "a sociosexual activity wherein one or more participants take on the mannerisms, behavior, and attitudes of a dog – often facilitated by the wearing of specialist ‘gear’". This can include both physical apparel and behavioral traits, such as communicating via non-verbal cues such as growling or barking. Pup play culture is closely linked to the leather subculture and BDSM communities, with much of the apparel and accessories crafted from leather, rubber, latex, or neoprene. While the culture is categorized as a fetish, it can also serve as a social outlet for many individuals, particularly within the LGBTQ community. Features In puppy play, or pup play, at least one of the participants acts out canine mannerisms and behaviors. If there is a dominant role it can be taken by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Roleplay
Animal roleplay is a form of roleplay where at least one participant plays the part of a non-human animal. As with most forms of roleplay, its uses include play and psychodrama. Animal roleplay may also be found in BDSM contexts, where an individual may take part in a dominant/submissive relationship by being treated as an animal. The activity is often referred to as ''petplay''. However, not all types of animal roleplay within BDSM are petplay and not all petplay in BDSM involves roleplaying as an animal; some can be referred to as primal play. Overview The origins of animal roleplay and petplay are probably various and diverse, again depending upon the participants involved. However, its origins are certainly influenced by costuming, fiction, myth and legend, roleplay and psychodrama in their various aspects. Some of the earliest published images of animal play (especially pony play) are to be found in the work of John Willie, primarily in '' Bizarre'' magazine publi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kitten
A kitten is a Juvenile (organism), juvenile cat. After being born, kittens display primary altriciality and are fully dependent on their mothers for #Establishing immunity, survival. They normally do not open their eyes for seven to ten days. After about two weeks, kittens develop quickly and begin to explore the world outside their nest. After a further three to four weeks, they begin to eat solid food and grow baby teeth. Domestic kittens are highly social animals and usually enjoy human companionship. Etymology The word "kitten" derives from the Middle English word , which in turn came from the Old French or . Juvenile big cats are called "cubs" rather than kittens; either term (but usually more commonly "kitten") may be used for the young of smaller wild felidae, felids, such as ocelots, caracals, and lynxes. Development A feline Litter (animal), litter usually consists of two to five kittens, but litters with one to more than ten are known. Kittens are typically born af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are linked by 438 bridges. The islands are in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po River, Po and the Piave River, Piave rivers (more exactly between the Brenta (river), Brenta and the Sile (river), Sile). As of 2025, 249,466 people resided in greater Venice or the Comune of Venice, of whom about 51,000 live in the historical island city of Venice (''centro storico'') and the rest on the mainland (''terraferma''). Together with the cities of Padua, Italy, Padua and Treviso, Italy, Treviso, Venice is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million. The name is derived from the ancient Adr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
