Two 'flying angels' mark start of Venice Carnival festivities

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Venice Carnival kicked off on Sunday with not one but two traditional "flight of the angel" ceremonies, a highlight of the festival before thousands of onlookers in the Italian Renaissance city's St Mark's Square.

Each first Sunday of the carnival, a young woman chosen as "Marie" has the honor of performing the stunt, gliding through the air on a harness attached to a cable from the 99-meter (325-foot) bell-tower of the Basilica to a stage below.

Erika Chia performs the "flight of angel" in Venice, Italy, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

As she soars overhead, the angel tosses confetti over onlookers below, many wearing costumes and disguised in masks.

Erika Chia, 20, descended to music from David Bowie's "Space Oddity". In an exception this year, she was preceded by "warrior angel" Micol Rossi, 27, who was chosen as a symbol of hope and tenacity for her battle with Crohn's disease.

Revelers wearing masks and period costumes take part in the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

"It has been so emotional to see the whole city of Venice from above, it's the most beautiful city in the world," Rossi said. "I did this for the many people who are suffering from illness right now, and I have been thinking of them in their hospital rooms."

The centuries-old Venice Carnival, rooted in Christian festivities ahead of the fasting period of Lent, attracts crowds of foreign and Italian tourists to its masked balls and theatrical performances.

A reveler wearing a mask and a period costume takes part in the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

The carnival, which lasts until March 5, was created in Venice in 1162, on the day after a military victory.

(Cover: A reveler wearing a mask and a period costume takes part in the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP