The plains of Ptujsko and Dravsko polje and the hills of Haloze and Slovenske gorice in north-eastern Slovenia attract attention for the large number of diverse traditional carnival costumes found here.The costumes are not just carnival props to disguise oneself and become something else. Since time immemorial, people have used masks and magical practices to … Read more

The most popular and plentiful carnival character from this area is the Korant or Kurent. According to ancient belief, the Korant chased away winter and invited spring into the land.Today, groups of Korants make door-to-door rounds accompanied by Devils. They also traditionally act as attendants to the Carnival Ploughmen, who plough symbolic furrows to invite … Read more

The main carnival in Ptuj, Kurentovanje, gets its name from the Kurent. The festival, organized for the first time in 1960, quickly grew beyond local borders and attracted carnival characters and groups from Slovenia and abroad. In 1991, Ptuj was accepted into the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC).The main event of Kurentovanje is a … Read more

Kurentovanje is not the only carnival event in the Ptuj area. Some years ago, it was joined by carnival processions, Fašenki, in the surrounding villages: Markovci, Cirkovce, Cirkulane, Dornava, and Videm. The Fašenki, which take place between Saturday and Shrove Tuesday, are copies of the Sunday procession in Ptuj – they present traditional ethnographic characters … Read more