The Js are Silent

On Saturday, we took a train to a town called Ptuj (pronounced p-too-ee) in Eastern Slovenia, along the Drava River. Normally a quiet riverside town like many others around it, the place goes berserk for its version of Carnaval, called “Kurentovanje.”

To quote Lonely Planet, this is…

“…a rite of spring and fertility that dates to the time of the early Slavs and is now an organized carnival and centerpiece of Ptuj’s calendar. Festivities are spread over 11 days in February, culminating in the Kurent parades on the Saturday and Sunday before Shrove Tuesday.

The main character of the rite is Kurent, a Dionysian god of unrestrained pleasure and hedonism. Hundreds of masked and costumed Kurents march through town during the parades, dressed in sheepskins with cowbells dangling from their belts. On their heads they wear huge furry caps decorated with feathers, sticks, or horns and colourful streamers. Their leather masks have red eyes, trunk-like noses and enormous tongues hanging down to the chest.”

Here are some photos of the parade

This is just a brief summary. We don’t know why the men are wearing colorful head scarves, or what that wagon with what looks like coal being towed by guys with old peasant garb are all about. It was hard not to notice the similarities of it’s New Orleans counterpart event, with the Kurent beasts something like the “big chief” Indians that famously appear in Mardi Gras.

What these pictures don’t convey is how bloody loud the whole thing is—hundreds of Sendakesque creatures are all jumping around, each of them wearing several cowbells. Men and boys of all ages whirling and snapping whips among the crowds. We certainly tried to steer clear of the whip tails. “You’ll put your eye out” from Christmas Story was top of mind. All of the festivities made quite a big noise.

After the parade, we walked around town a bit, had a nice lunch at a riverfront restaurant, and then made our way to Ptuj Castle which, like many attractions in Slovenia, is a UN World Heritage Site.

And that was our day in Ptuj.