Tarot in the Olympics

So I'm watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics and they have 78 performers dressed as Tarot cards. Anyone happen to catch which deck it was? It looked to me like a Marseilles but I couldn't be sure.

Our commentator (having made many name mistakes over the past few weeks) decided Tarot was pronounced "ta-rot". And leaving that mistake to the side, he also told the viewers that among the cards of the zodiac (?) there were Strength, Temperance, Justice the Tower and The Avenging Angel. Who the heck is the Avenging Angel? Closest I can think of is maybe Judgement? And who wrote his script?! lol

Broadcast Accuracy

Apparently the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Olympic commentators were better briefed; they got the pronunciations and details on the dancing tarot cards correct. Amazing to see all this, in any case!

I have looked only at the official site to see what photos were thereon to see the cards, and have not found any Tarot per se, but rather the similar looking (southern-pattern) standard Italian playing cards.

Perhaps the commentators incorrectly assumed they were Tarot, quickly found out there were 78 in a Tarot deck, and made the suggestions...

...either that, or none of the Atouts (Majors) are visible in the photo I attach and the only I could find.

Thanks

Good image, thanks.

They are definitely the Tarocco Piemontese.

I didn't see the ceremony, and the only picture I have is the same as jmd's. That's enough to identify them, although I also see no trumps in that particular photo.

I think the New York Times website has a diaporama that shows one card - the Five of Denari.

Yes, they were definitely tarot cards.
Apart from the people dressed as cards, they also had big paper mache (sp ?) dolls representing the majors, I could clearly identify the Tower, Moon and Temperance.
The Dutch commentator said...they are tarot cards, yes I heard of that, used for predictions...your whole life is predestined in these cards (...short cynical laugh here...)
But...at least they looked nice. It was a welcome surprise

It just played on TV here. There were multiple decks of pip only cards (including courts at some stages). The Majors were present but were puppet like creatures rather than the card like costumes of the minors. The Temperance puppet was awesome. If she shows up on ebay I hope she shows up cheap I want it!

There were some people dressed as court figures also, though I only saw the one pair over and over, so not sure if the rest where there or only on the painted "cards".

Wow! That's just such a fantastic photo, jmd!

similia said:

There were some people dressed as court figures also, though I only saw the one pair over and over, so not sure if the rest where there or only on the painted "cards".

Click to expand...

I don't think they were actually part of the Tarot brigade... they'd been there all night. I think they were in the opening ceremony as well, the whole thing took part in a old style court with jesters and what not. A little girl began the ceremony by running and singing through a garden and into the court, quite sweet actually.

That is some picture, Thanks!!

Baroli52