Kurentovanje

Kurentovanje is Slovenian most popular carnival event first organized in 1960. This 11-day festival has many activities on the program but its climax is on Shrove Sunday. By the way, Ptuj is the oldest documented town in Slovenia and heritage like this carnival goes great with it.

Today, Kurentovanje is an international festival. Among local traditional carnival groups, one can see others from Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Japan and many other countries. In addition to the parade, Kurentovanje also includes other cultural events. There can you see traditional dance performances, music concerts, and art exhibitions. Reasonably, with a good festival, there comes also good food. The festival has a strong culinary component, with local restaurants and food stands offering traditional Slovenian dishes such as krofi (a type of doughnut), kranjska klobasa (a type of sausage), and potica (a sweet bread filled with nuts or other ingredients). Please click here if you need an idea of what to eat when you are in Slovenia.

Doughnuts can be seen all over the city. It is tradition to make them around the carnival and give them to masqueraders. Traditionally these are filled with jam, but modern touches like vanilla cream and chocolate go with it great.

In Kurentovanje 2023 there were more than 100.000 visitors from all around the world. Make sure you will see it at least once in your lifetime. It is worth visiting it just to see the main character – Kurent.

Kurent

The main character in this carnival is Kurent, which was first documented in 1880. According to popular belief, Kurents chase away everything bad and bring good luck and happiness.

The Kurent is a traditional Slovenian carnival figure that is associated with the celebration of “Pust” (Carnival) and is believed to have originated in the eastern part of Slovenia, in the region of Ptuj. The Kurent is typically depicted as a large, hairy, and horned beast with a long tongue, wearing a sheepskin or fur coat, a belt with cowbells, and sometimes a mask. The Kurent’s appearance can vary depending on the region, but it always carries a wooden club and is accompanied by a group of other carnival characters.

The Kurent is actually a demon but it is known as a good one. They are believed to possess supernatural powers and are said to chase away winter and evil spirits, bringing about the arrival of spring and fertility. The Kurent is also a symbol of Slovenian culture and folklore, and the tradition of the Kurent has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

During the Pust celebrations, which take place in February or March, groups of people dressed as Kurents parade through the streets, making noise with their cowbells and wooden clubs. The Kurents also visit homes, where they perform rituals to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck and fertility to the household. In addition to driving away evil spirits, the Kurent is also believed to have the power to heal and protect. Some people believe that being hit by a Kurent’s wooden club can bring good luck and ward off illness.

The exact origin of the Kurent is unclear, but it is thought to be related to pre-Christian Slavic and pagan beliefs. No matter where we look for the roots of this figure from Ptujsko-Dravsko Polje, Haloze, and Slovenske Gorice, we will find lore similar to the one carried by the Kurent.

The costume is made of sheep wool, the mask is made of wood and the tongue is made of leather, traditional cowbells are made of steel. The whole costume weighs around 40 kilos and you can only imagine how hot it must be jumping around in it. Are these jumps necessary? Yes. As tradition says, the bells are driving winter away. Louder is better. There must be exactly 5 cowbells. 5 bells are the perfect number for making the perfect noise to carry winter away. You will see also napkins around Kurent’s waist. Those are from girls who show their affection to them.

There are many rules about Kurents. One of them is “no one should see who is carrying the mask, and Kurent could take it off at home and hide it.” One of the rules is also only grown single males could wear a mask. Today we can see also kids, women, and of course married men wearing it.

Here you can see my artistic approach to Kurents in black and white. However, Kurents are the most important characters but they aren’t the only ones.

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Kurents in Black and White

Other Characters of Kurentovanje

Gypsies from Dornava

There are also Gypsies from Dornava on Ptujsko Polje. Unique local custom where almost all villagers dress up in Gypsies. They assume many different roles, such as fortune-tellers, knife grinders, musicians, chicken thieves, etc. It is certainly a great addition to the humor, which is the main feeling in Carnival.

The Devil

Devil accompanies Kurent and he makes sure the procession goes undisturbed. Pitchfork in his hands and a net for catching souls are essential. 

The Whip Crackers

Traditionally, already in the night immediately after Candlemas, boys and men started cracking their whips in the hope to chase away dark forces and evil spirits. Well, after you hear that snap you might be chased away as well.

Jürek and Rabolj

Jürek and Rabolj also known as Green George and Winter demon have this fight all over the city. Green George is representing nature and spring while the demon represents winter. Jürek and Rabolj perform a fight in which the winter demon Rabolj is beaten and banished to Donačka gora.

Rusas

Rusa is an animal that brings health and fertility to horses and other animals. It reminds me of Chinese lions without acrobatic abilities. However, they are much more fun, they play tricks and are unruly. That’s why Rusas are accompanied by a driver with a whip. 

Old Woman Carrying Her Man

This figure is recognized throughout various European nations as an embodiment of the spirits of the deceased, typically portrayed as an elderly person. A participant places a wicker basket without a bottom over their shoulders, with a rag doll of either a man or woman attached to the front. The female character’s face is usually adorned with paint or soot, and her costume typically features exaggerated breasts, while the male character carries a spear and dons an old hat.

Straw Bride Looking for Her Groom

This customary practice involves young men dressing up as females and pulling a cart with a scarecrow bride in it, to the delight of onlookers. At each home where a suitable young man resided, they would offer him the “bride,” who was, of course, exceedingly wealthy, possessing livestock, money, and numerous other assets. The “bride” was adorned with onion garlands instead of flowers.

The spearman

The spearman of Markovci in the Ptujsko Polje region is not a traditional carnival character, but rather an essential figure at peasant weddings, where he assists the bride and groom and provides entertainment for guests. In 1960, a group of spearmen led the inaugural carnival parade in Ptuj, dressed in their finest black suits, adorned with decorated hats and black boots. The spearmen danced, tossing their spears, which were decorated with multicolored ribbons, high into the air. 

Ploughmen

The tradition of ploughing (plowing) is a highly popular carnival custom, steeped in the long-forgotten rituals of ploughing the defensive magic circle around the village and the ceremonial first furrow to mark the beginning of fieldwork. In the Ptuj region, the most distinguished ploughmen come from villages including Markovci, Lancova Vas, Podlehnik, Leskovec, Dornava, and Okič in Haloze. A group of ploughmen typically consists of three pairs of “horses” pulling a decorated wooden plough, accompanied by a Kurent. The whip cracker leads the way, wielding a long whip to chase away evil spirits and signal the plowmen’s arrival.

and many others.

Kurentovanje Tips 

If you are attending the main carnival make sure to arrive early. That way you can check the town of Ptuj and Ptuj castle, find your spot where the carnival will be held and enjoy doughnuts without the crowd.

If you will be there early you can see the Kurent’s masks and clothing in the park and around the city when they are preparing.

The last tip and the most important one, have fun!

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What Makes Travel Photography Meaningful?

Imagine a movie with only backgrounds instead of countless plots. Would that movie be good? Probably not. Beautiful scenes, and that’s all—no characters, no action, and finally, no story. The same goes for photography. A beautiful set with fantastic sunset is nice to see, but that’s all. If you add some compositions, objects, story, action, and angles, we get excited.

What About Colors and Shades?

Alright, now we are getting a bit deeper into this dilemma. I can guarantee you that one can make a fantastic movie with only backgrounds. But that person is making movies for a long time, has developed skills, and can jump into the medium’s artistic side. 

Travel photography can be meaningful only because of its colors and shades. But to achieve that, you will need some experience, and that is alright. We are all practicing for the whole of our life.

Why Will Travel Photography get Better?

Bring yourself back into the era of colonization. Traveling abroad was more privilege than a holiday. And if you were lucky enough to have and understand the camera, you put a hell of an effort to take a good shot. So, are we going back to traveling privilege? Yes and no. Who says you can’t do travel photography in your hometown?

There are more factors to support this statement. Instagram shots will decline, professional photos will be more accessible than ever, and technology makes everything easier. Ten years back, one would call you crazy if you use only your phone for professional photography. Today, we are only a step away from living this a reality. Not only a device itself but AI and algorithms are getting better and better.

Covid-19 Has Killed My Travel Photography Enthusiasm

Like it killed almost every other business, hobby, and interest in these times. The world is changed and is very different than it was a year ago. Now it is on us how we will adapt, overcome, and improve or spiral in excuses, melancholy, or even desperation. No matter what, you should show some compassion and understand the bigger picture. People are getting hungry and ill, so don’t cry about lack of travel. You still have your camera, skills, and opportunities. Probably, people who provide tourism are in a much worse position right now. Just imagine restaurants, bars, and street vendors; their livelihood is at risk!

And again, even they can change. There is a pizza place whose owner is using an oven for making plastic masks now. Will he survive? Yes, because of adaptation. In a few years, he may be back to pizzas in the same oven, but that is a different problem. Don’t take this situation as an all bad situation, but rather as a new opportunity. Some would probably kill right now to be in your hometown, even though they might have the Eiffel tower in behind their view. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Bring Travel Photography Closer To You

You know the saying, “Photographers in Hong Kong, making night photography when raining is like cheating in real life.” But I bet you have something just as great around you in your country. Use lockdown and get to know your backyard. You will be surprised what you’ll discover, and when you do make use of this advantage. Go there every week at different times of the day, exploit given conditions. You will see how different the photos will be, and one shot will stand out from all others. You might get a f***** unicorn!

Opportunities Everywhere

Alright, you have these exciting photos. Now what? This epidemy is not affecting only you but probably more prominent players as well. CNN can’t just send their photographer to your country for some photo reportage. And I can assure you; they still crave material for their story. Maybe even more now than ever, so who knows, perhaps you are the one who might have what they need.

Moral of This Story

The moral of this article is “Never give up!”. Life at this moment might look confused and the future uncertain. But was it ever different? No! It is on us how we will surf on these changes. Catch the wave, boys, and try to make things better. Put something else in the first place instead of yourself. I started with nature, the environment and wildlife.

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