Drežnica carnival
The parade of the "pretty ones" and the "ugly ones"
In the remote village of Drežnica above Kobarid, one of the oldest traditional Carnival celebrations in Slovenia has been preserved to this day. Preparations for Carnival begin on the last Saturday of the year, when new members are welcomed into the boys' society. The actual Carnival festivities last from Carnival Saturday until the final celebration on Shrove Tuesday.
Drežnica Boys' Society (Drežniška fantovščina)
Only members of the Drežnica Boys' Society can participate in planning and organizing the Carnival. Members are exclusively adult, unmarried young men! No, girls have no place here. In addition to organizing the Carnival, the society takes care of other customs and tasks in the village. They prepare the St. Nicholas celebration, the "prtuen" (a traditional village event), "pranje" (a local custom), and help the villagers with various tasks, such as harvesting hay or wood.
Preparations for Carnivale
The preparations for Carnival take place after the New Year, when the boys secretly assign roles to each other. Then, they begin making their masks. Which masks the others will wear remains a mystery, but the "ugly" ones are always worn by the newcomers. A tradition has also been preserved, where after every meeting, the boys turn off the public lighting, sing their anthem "Bleda luna" (Pale Moon), and march noisily through the village. They pass quietly only by the houses where someone has died in the past year.
The parade in Drežnica marks the arrival of Carnival
On Carnival Saturday, the masked procession walks through the village. Only the boys, to avoid any confusion! The "beautiful" ones visit every house in the village, wishing the residents well with dancing and music, and in return, the villagers give them gifts and money. The "ugly" ones chase the children and sprinkle them with ash.
The procession also includes a colorful group of other characters. At the head of the procession is the driver, accompanied by a musician, followed by two or three pairs of "beautiful" ones, the "old couple," a "rooster", "each gets", a "doctor," a "Rezjan" (a local character), the "fat one," the "cgajnarji" (gypsys), and the "ugly" ones. At the end of the procession, the policeman and Pepo walk. Occasionally, the devil and death also appear in the procession, helping the "ugly" ones catch the children, along with the postman, who has interesting mail for each house.
The Judgment and Burial of Carnival
The final act of the Drežnica Carnival is the "judgment." The day before Shrove Tuesday, the boys' society gathers to write an indictment against Carnival. They collect all the negative events from the past year and, in a humorous way, blame Carnival for them. The trial takes place on Shrove Tuesday in the main square of Drežnica. At the end of the proceedings, Carnival is given a symbolic burial. At midnight, the figure of Carnival is carried to the outskirts of the village and burned, marking the end of the Carnival festivities.
