Across Europe festivities and parades full of spirits and demons, dances and drinks bring cheer – and sometimes mayhem – to the winter months
Kurentovanje, Ptuj, 14 February-25 March 2020
Whip cracks split the slate-cold February sky. You hear their echo before you see the whippers themselves: a gaggle of men dressed in 19th-century costume. They have puffy white shirtsleeves, embroidered vests and leather britches, their bullwhips are in hand but there is an incongruous abundance of brightly coloured flowers bedecking their hats. They are here to chase away winter, but they are not alone. They clear the path for a special sort of monster: a benevolent demon who strikes terror into the evil winter spirits and drives them away. Following them are villagers dressed as kurenti. Kurent is the protagonist of Slovenia’s oldest holiday, Kurentovanje. It is a holdover of ancient Slavic rites of spring, which were adapted into Christianity’s timeline, linking pagan spring rituals with Shrovetide and Lent.
from Travel | The Guardian https://ift.tt/33siJc7
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