A performance of talchum (traditional mask dance) on Oct. 15, 2022, is held at Campo Santo Stefano in Venice, Italy. (K-tiful)

By Margareth Theresia 

The traditional mask dance talchum will debut this week at Italy's Venice Carnival, one of the world's three biggest events of its kind.

The organizing body International Association for the Carnival of Venice on its official website said a talchum performance on Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. will be held at Piazza San Marco in Venice.

On its website, the association called talchum a popular art in traditional Korean culture that combines dance, music and theater, with the performers on stage wearing masks that show each character's traits and social status.

Talchum is a dark comedy that expresses social problems through satire and humor and emphasizes the values of reconciliation and peace at the end of the performance, it added.

This is the first time for the carnival to invite a Korean performing troupe, according to K-tiful, a cultural brand of YBS Edu Social Cooperative, which develops content using cultural heritage.

The Venice Carnival is the biggest festival in Italy and one of the world's three largest, attracting three million visitors each year. 

The masquerade balls feature colorful masks and traditional outfits as one of the carnival's highlights, earning the nickname "Venice mask festival."

This year's Venice Carnival was opened on Feb. 4 and runs through Feb. 21.

This is a promotional poster for the talchum performance at this year's Venice Carnival. (Screen captured from the Venice Carnival's official website)

margareth@korea.kr