Kurentovanje is Slovenia's most popular and ethnologically significant carnival event first organised in 1960 by Drago Hasl and his associates from cultural and educational organizations. This 11-day rite of spring and fertility highlight event is celebrated on Shrove Sunday in Ptuj, the oldest documented city in the region, and draws around 100,000 participants in total each year. In 2016 proclaimed as the 7th largest carnival in the world by Lonely Planet.
Its main figure, known as Kurent or Korent, has been popularly (but incorrectly) reinterpreted as an extravagant god of unrestrained pleasure and hedonism in early Slavic customs. In today's festival, groups of kurents or kurenti wear traditional sheepskin garments while holding wooden clubs with hedgehog skins attached called ježevke, the noise of which is believed to "chase away winter". In this way, the presence of kurenti announces the end of winter and beginning of spring. Being a kurent was at first a privilege offered only to unmarried men, but today, married men, children and women are also invited to wear the outfit.
In 2010, the 50th anniversary of the first organized instance of this festival was celebrated. As the host of the festival, the town of Ptuj was admitted into the Federation of European Carnival Cities in 1991.
In 2017 Door-to-door rounds of Kurents was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Festival origins The idea of an organized carnival in Ptuj was born in 1955, when the carnival was organised by Svoboda, accompanied by a brass band, in processions on Shrove Tuesday. There were also Franc Kolarič and his friend from Markovci (birthplace of Kurent) masked in ethnographic costumes of Spearmen. Hasl who was there and impressed with the tradition, immediately decided to plan Kurentovanje, meeting with Kolarič over the years until it officially became reality 5 years later.
In 1959, on Shrove Saturday, Hasl, Kolarič and committee organised an unofficial Kurentovanje.
This event continued to grow, thanks in no small part to Ptuj cultural historian Drago Hasl (1900–1976)."HASL, Drago"Mojca Zavec Mlakar, Drago Hasl (1900 - 1976): buditelj ptujskega kulturnega življenja, 2010, Hasl, an indefatigable organiser of Kurentovanje from its beginnings until the 1970s, was strongly convinced that this event could help prevent what he saw as the extremely rapid disappearance of carnival habits and traditional customs in surrounding villages. In 1959, Hasl, strongly backed by those who shared both his views and enthusiasm for the event, proposed that the Historical Society of Ptuj take over the organisation and the implementation of the carnival event. He suggested that the event should be named after the most well-known costumes Kurent – and Kurentovanje was born. Hasl prepared a draft regarding the content and outlining the major guidelines to be followed to transform Kurentovanje into an event of ethnographic significance. His vision of an event comprising the unique carnival figures and habits from the Ptuj region, which could be joined at a later stage by other traditional Slovene costumes, helped to make the event grow into a festival of costumes. He additionally planned to expand the content of the event by introducing contemporary carnival costumes.
The first "modern" version of the Kurentovanje festival
On Shrove Saturday, 27 February 1960, the first modern version of the festival, called Kurentovanje, was organized by Drago Hasl and friends in Ptuj, featuring traditional carnival costumes from Markovci. Carnival participants lined up in a procession. The procession leaders were spearmen followed by ploughmen, "rusa" (a bear), fairies, cockerels, and Kurents, all dancing to the sound of music played by a local band. The performance and customs of each traditional costume were explained to the gathered crowd via loudspeakers. The event met with tremendous success and aroused general interest which encouraged the organizers to continue.
One year later, the Markovci costumes were joined by ploughmen from Lancova Vas, log-haulers from Cirkovci, and mourners from Hajdina. For the first time, carnival (non-ethnographic) groups presented themselves in the afternoon. In 1962 the event reached beyond local boundaries by inviting other carnival figures such as lavfarji (< Bavarian German Laufer 'runner') from Cerkno and borovo gostuvanje (literally, "pine wedding participants") from Predanovci in the Prekmurje region.
Internationalization The international aspect of the event was acquired in the following years when local and Slovene traditional costumes were joined by costumes from: Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Japan and many other countries. The number of participants and spectators grew over the years, with thousands visiting the Carnival events to marvel at the spectacular costumes and take part in the fun.
For many years, the main part of the event had been the presentation of individual traditional carnival groups. This took place either on the Saturday or Sunday morning prior to the afternoon procession.
Extending the festival's program In 1994, the festival's program was extended to more than two days, featuring a multitude of events, performances in the square in front of the city hall, the burial of the Carnival, and an entertainment program in the carnival tent. From 1999 on, the Prince of the Carnival event was introduced with the enthronement of the Prince that takes place on 11 November (St. Martin's Day). This has become an important cultural and entertaining event in itself.
During the past few years, the carnival has begun precisely at midnight on 2 February—Candlemas. Budina, one of the mostly rural suburbs of Ptuj, stages the event. This event includes a huge bonfire around which, at the stroke of midnight, Kurents—for this event equipped relatively simply with a chain and five bells and a wooden club—start to dance, thus announcing the beginning of carnival. From this moment on Kurents are "allowed" to make their habitual rounds.
Nowadays the festival lasts for approximately eleven days, starting on Saturday, a week before Shrove Sunday, when only traditional carnival costumes form a procession on the streets of Ptuj and when the Prince of the Carnival is bestowed the honour of ruling the town during the carnival period. Each day features performances by individuals in costumes and many other types of entertainment which take place on the square in front of the town hall and in the carnival tent.
Activities culminate with Saturday's procession of traditional carnival costumes, the children's carnival parade, the burial of Carnival and the return of power to the mayor of the town. However, because there are sometimes fewer days between Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday, other activities are of shorter duration as well. Consequently, this strongly influences the entire program and development of the event each year.
Indigenous characters Indigenous characters (masks) from Ptuj wider area including Ptuj field, Drava field and from Haloze:Traditional ethnographic characters
"Kurent" or "Korant" (the main character) "The Whip Crackers" (for happines and well-being) "Carnival dancers" (from Pobrežje, Videm) "the Spearman" (martial character) "Ploughmen" (draw a magic circle) "Log-Haulers" (to enchant fertility) "The Devil" (fear, fear, is coming) "The Trough" (the straw bride)
"Old Woman Carrying Her Man" (spirits of heaven) "The Mischievous Bear" (from Ptuj field) "Hens and Cockerels" (for a good harvest) "Jürek and Rabolj" (from Haloze) "Fairies" (Zabovci) "Rusas" (from Ptuj field) "Gypsies" (from Dornava)
Kurent or Korant - the main carnival figure Kurent or Korant is the best-known traditional carnival figure of the entire region, as well as in all of Slovenia. The name is probably derived from the common noun kurant 'messenger, lackey, footman', borrowed from a Romance word from Latin currens 'running'—thus sharing a semantic base with the Cerkno term lavfar. While Kurent groups might not all look exactly the same, it is the most popular and frequent traditional carnival figure in the Ptuj and Drava plains, and in the Haloze Hills.
Kurent or Korant, as it is known today, has its origin in popular tradition. Traditionally, the Kurent'''s outfit was reserved for unmarried men, but nowadays Kurent-Korant can be unmarried or married men, as well as women, children, and animals.
The two types of Slovene Kurent-Korant are the so-called "feathery" (from the town of Markovci) and the "horned" ones (from Haloze), with the difference being mainly in the look of the head covering. The Kurent-Korant wears a massive sheepskin garment. Around its waist hangs a chain with huge bells attached—the resulting noise does a great job of "chasing away winter", which is, ostensibly, the Kurent's function. The Korent'' also wears heavy boots and special red or green leg warmers, while the head is covered by a towering furry hat festooned with ribbons, and a mask typically sporting a long, red tongue. A wooden club is normally carried in the left hand.
Carnival parade list In 1960 and 1961, the event was held on Shrove Saturday. Since 1962, the event has been held on Shrove Sunday. Between 1962 and 1991, the program was scheduled in two parts: abefore noon there was parade of traditional costumes only in the city stadium, and the carnival was held in the town streets in the afternoon. With gathering of over 50,000 people each year on Sunday Shrove, this is the biggest Slovenian daily public event next to Planica Ski Flying event.
EditionYearDayDateVisit↓ Historic Society Ptuj ↓11960Shrove Saturday27 February 6,000 21961Shrove Sunday11 February 14,000 319624 March 20,000 ↓ Folklore Events Ptuj ↓41963Shrove Sunday24 February N/A ↓ DPD "Svoboda" Ptuj(Local carnival replaced Kurentovanje) ↓ —1964Shrove SundayShrove Tuesday9 February 11 February N/A ↓ Folklore Events Ptuj ↓51965Shrove Sunday28 February 30,000 61966Shrove SaturdayShrove Sunday19 February 20 February 30,000 71967Shrove Sunday5 February cancelled81968Shrove Sunday25 February 20,000 ↓ Folklore Society Ptuj ↓91969Shrove Sunday16 February 20,000 1019708 February N/A 11197121 February 35,000 12197213 February N/A ↓ Folklore Society Ptuj, Tourism Society Ptuj ↓131973Shrove Sunday4 March 40-50,00014197424 February 40-50,000 1519759 February 40,000 16197629 February 45,000 17197720 February 40,000 1819785 February N/A 19197926 February 40,000 20198017 February N/A 2119811 March 40,000 22198221 February 40,000 23198313 February N/A2419844 March N/A25198517 February N/A2619869 February N/A2719871 March N/A28198814 February 45,000 2919895 February 40,000 30199025 February 50,000 31199110 February N/A3219921 March N/A 33199321 February 30,000 34199413 February N/A35199526 February N/A 36199625 February 25,000 3719979 February 40,000 38199822 February 50,00039199914 February 10,000 4020005 March 50-60,00041200125 February 45,00042200210 February 50,0004320032 March 60,00044200422 February N/A4520056 February 50,00046200626 February N/A47200718 February 40,0004820083 February 50,00049200922 February 55,00050201014 February 60,0005120116 March 65,00052201219 February 60,00053201310 February 30,0005420142 March 50,00055201517 February 55,0005620167 February 40,00057201726 February 60,00058201811 February 60,0005920193 March 45,00060202023 February 50,00061202114 February virtual 1972 - only on stadium event, no city carnival. 1992 - no classic carnival, limited to four city squares only.
Traditional events
Introduction SinceEventAlways on the same day2001Kurent (Korant) JumpMidnight ritual by the fire at Zoki's homestead in Budina (Candlemas – 2 to 3 February)
Main events