No Pansies The new Carnival will not retain all the
pleasures of the old. Among the more popular events in the eighteenth century was the daily baiting of bulls in the city squares. The bulls, taken from the slaughterhouse, were surprisingly tame; even fireworks tied to their horns and the unleashing of a pack of dogs among them often failed to rouse them. Still, they provided material for the head-slicing competitions, where the prize went to the man who cut off the most heads at one stroke and without letting the blade once touch the ground. Quieter amusements are to be offered: an international cocktail competition for bartenders; European fashion shows; an ex- hibition of masks; a huge fancy dress ball at La Fenice aimed at European 'society': and pageants in St. Mark's Square. A traditional flower show called the Pansy Festival is, prudently, to be re- named. The opera season also is to be extended. Anyhow, Venice in the winter light is a place
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