Kurentovanje

The kurent costume

The central character of the festival is the kurent or korant. Participants wear large sheepskin suits, sturdy boots, and green or red leg warmers. Around the waist, each wearer attaches a chain carrying large bells. Their faces are hidden behind towering masks adorned with ribbons and long red tongues. In their hands, they hold clubs tipped with hedgehog skins, known as ježevke. In the local tradition, two main styles exist: the feathery style from the village of Markovci and the horned style from Haloze. Originally, only unmarried men took on this role, but today women, married men, and children put on the sheepskins as well.

How the festival unfolds

The festivities start around midnight on Candlemas, the second of February, in the rural suburb of Budina. There, kurents gather around a large bonfire to ring five bells and dance, signaling that door-to-door rounds may begin. The broader carnival continues for about eleven days. On St. Martin's Day in November, an appointed carnival prince receives a two-year mandate, and during the festival, this prince symbolically takes charge of the town. Parades, concerts, and open-air performances fill the town hall square and carnival tents, leading up to the burial of Carnival on Shrove Tuesday, when authority returns to the mayor.

Origins and growth

A local cultural historian named Drago Hasl helped establish the modern carnival in Ptuj in 1960. Concerned that rural folk customs were vanishing from nearby villages, he collaborated with local organizers to stage a structured event centered around the traditional kurent figure. That inaugural parade featured characters like spearmen, ploughmen, and cockerels marching to live brass music. Over time, groups from across Slovenia and abroad joined the gatherings. In 2017, the door-to-door rounds of the kurents earned recognition on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, and Slovene communities overseas, such as in Cleveland, Ohio, host their own celebrations.

How Kurentovanje is kept

Festivities open on Candlemas at midnight with a bonfire dance in Budina, which releases the kurents to make their traditional village visits. During the festival period, a designated prince holds symbolic civic power. Parades proceed through Ptuj featuring traditional characters like spearmen, ploughmen, and figures in animal masks. On Shrove Sunday, tens of thousands of spectators gather to watch the main costume parade. Groups of kurents leap and shake their bells to generate loud clatter. The carnival draws to a close on Shrove Tuesday with the symbolic burial of Carnival, after which municipal authority is handed back to the city mayor.

When and where

Kurentovanje spans about eleven days leading up to Lent, concluding on Shrove Tuesday, forty-seven days prior to Easter. Initial rituals begin on the second of February, Candlemas, while the official prince of the festival is chosen earlier on St. Martin's Day in November.

The festival is centered in Ptuj, the oldest documented town in Slovenia, as well as surrounding rural areas like Haloze and Markovci. A diaspora version takes place in the St. Clair-Superior neighbourhood of Cleveland, Ohio, near St. Vitus Church.

What Kurentovanje means

The noisy parade of kurents is held to chase away the cold winter and invite fertility and the warmth of spring. The clatter of bells and hedgehog-skin clubs provides a festive way to usher in the new agricultural season before the solemn fasting period of Christian Lent begins.

Days Kurentovanje is marked

Questions people ask about Kurentovanje

See also

Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.HanamiA Japanese spring custom of gathering under blooming cherry trees to eat, drink, and celebrate the fleeting beauty of thMardi GrasA festive day of parades and rich foods marking the final celebration before the Christian fasting season of Lent beginsGroundhog DayA February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• The hairy creature scaring away winterBBC, Article
• Door-to-door rounds of KurentiUNESCO, Heritage listing
• The hairy creature scaring away winterBBC, Article
• Door-to-door rounds of KurentiUNESCO, Article

• Kurentovanje on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.