Ukrainiana

Body Art ‘Carnavalia’ Rocks Kyiv City Hall

Kyiv’s eccentric and extravagant Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky (aka Kosomos), who positions himself as a devout Christian, appears to have a penchant for traditions rooted in pre-Christian Rome.

No, it’s not those regular “bread and circus” traditions. It’s not those uber-nutritious food programs and spectacular public appearances with which he has brightened our days.

It’s extraordinary events like Carnavalia that put things in perspective.

One should note, however, that, compared to Saturnalia, Carnavalia involved less egalitarian behavioral patterns. Unlike Saturnalia, Carnavalia precluded the swapping of roles between patricians and plebeians. As far as we can see, it was a “be yourself” Bacchanalia kind of event.

Tabloid has some juicy snapshots of the body artists who attended the event.

A word of critique would be in order here. While such casual outfits may be suitable for a private party, or for the recent Miss World Ukraine pageant, wearing them in the City Hall creates an ethical disconnect, doesn’t it?

Even Nero, the bombastic Roman emperor-artist responsible for sophisticated persecutions of Christians, would gasp in awe at the event decorator who introduced such a carnal-oriented dress code into Chernovetsky's self-styled enclave of Christianity.

Well, many things have changed since the dawn of Christianity. Today, many folks can’t tell Christianity from Carnavalia.

Now that the last gladiator fight has left so much pride untouched, Kosmos is free to fiddle while Kyiv burns.

Sources:
http://tabloid.pravda.com.ua/photos/47bae6d6edb4e/