STA, February 10, 2018- The spirit of the pagan times will be revived across Slovenia this weekend, as colourful and picturesque masks overflow the streets of cities across the country. Slovenia's unique Shrovetide heritage will be in the forefront foremost in Ptuj and Cerknica, home to traditional carnival costumes.
The highlight of the 58th Kurentovanje in Ptuj, which UNESCO put on the list of intangible cultural heritage last December, will be the international parade of the scary, sheep-skin wearing Kurents on Sunday.
Ptuj 1962. Wikimedia - See more here
More than 100,000 visitors are expected to take part in the eleven-day festivities in Slovenia's oldest town that started last Saturday.
Another ancient Shrovetide figure, the Škoromat, will be revived in the south-west, in the hilly region of Brkini and the Podgrad area.
Škoromat wears a wooden mask and a pointy hat, decorated with paper flowers, and is typically dressed in sheep skin.
Much like Kurents, Škoromats make door-to-door rounds, but their favourite prank is to chase girls and children and smear them with ashes.
In Ljubljana, the annual Dragon's Festival will be held, this year focussing on the traditional Shrovetide costumes to celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage and the 70th anniversary of the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre.
A procession of masks will travel around the old town centre in the morning and then gather in Congress Square.
Pust in Logatec 2013. Photo Neža Loštrek. See more here.
In Maribor, the main party will be held in the town's central square on Shrove Tuesday.
In Ljutomer, in the north-east, local associations will present traditional Shrovetide figures in procession on Sunday.
During the carnival season, Cerknica, south-west of Ljubljana, turns into the home of Butalci, a caricature of Slovenians as a nation, based on the eponymous satire by Fran Milčinski (1867-1932). The peak of the festivities will be Sunday's procession, also featuring Uršula the Witch and Jezerko the Dragon from Cerknica Lake.
Another Slovenian carnival town with a long tradition is Cerkno in the west, known for its 25 "laufarji" or "runners" costumes, some of which are believed to originate from pagan rituals.
The main character is Pust, a horned creature clad in moss who personifies winter and all the bad things that have happened locally and globally in the past year.
On Shrove Tuesday, Pust will be sentenced to death in a mock trial and executed.
The lakeside town of Bled and coastal towns of Koper, Izola, Portorož and Piran will organise carnivals on Saturday.
The biggest event in the Dolenjska region in the south-east will be held in Kostanjevica na Krki, where local Shrovetide heritage will be presented by ethnological society Prforcenhaus on Sunday and then all the way to Ash Wednesday.
One of the longest celebrations will be held in the Brežice area, where masks will be in charge until next Saturday.
