New Moon Coaching for Expat Women

Last night, my house played host to a most improbable company: Colombina and Pantalone (two iconic masks from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte) shared space with Zorro, Julius Caesar, a professional wrestler, a tiger, two noblewomen, a goddess and Galileo Galilei. They all gathered at my invitation to celebrate Carnival—an occasion that remains mysterious to many, but for an Italian, is undoubtedly loud and full of food.

There is a paradox in living abroad: you often feel a deeper connection to your traditions than you ever did back home. As an adult in Italy, I’ll admit I snubbed Carnival as “just for children.” Now, it has become one of the most anticipated events for my family.

Explaining the magic to American friends is a journey through my own memories: the scent of my mother frying chiacchiere (light and airy pastries typical of the period that precedes the Lent), my sister dressed as Marie Antoinette with a beauty mark drawn on the corner of her mouth, clowns with curly wigs, the flood of masked people in Viareggio, the floats parading in the streets, and the walkways of Venice brought to life by colorful dukes and countesses arriving without warning from the 1700s.

Unlike the American Halloween—which often leans into the “thrill of the chill”—Carnival is an expression of joy, a release from convention, a celebration of life’s pleasures and a suspension of ordinary logic, where the powerful landowners swapped place with their servants for one day.

We may be far from the documented excesses of Medieval Carnival, but the idea of nullifying hierarchies and using laughter as a subversive tool against the established order remains a fascinating concept.

Imagine a world where we were forced to step into the shoes of another for a day —to see through the eyes of the neighbor that has different cultural/religious/political perspectives.

Would we discover, once the party ends and the masks come off, that we were the same all along?

In your new country, do you feel like you are wearing a mask to fit in, or has the move finally allowed you to take a mask off? Share it in the comments.