February 24, 2019
Pust 2019 will be almost one month later than last year, with the last and most important day of the carnival, Tuesday, falling on March 5th. This is because Pust (Mardi Gras) or rather Ash Wednesday, the day after, happens 46 days before Easter calculated according to Gregorian, not Julian, calendar, with the latter used by the Orthodox Church.
Originally there are only a few days of masquerade, the most important two being the Sunday and Shrove Tuesday just before the Ash Wednesday, although due to school and work schedules Friday and especially Saturday have gained greater importance in celebrating this colourful pagan holiday.
What follows is the timetable of the main Mardi Gras events across the country for this year, 2019.
Kurentovanje in Ptuj
Kurentovanje in Ptuj, which since December 2017 has been on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, has already begun this year with various processions and character introduction event. As noted earlier, larger events are saved for the coming weekend and beyond, with the Bourgeoise Parade on Saturday, International Carnival Parade on Sunday, and most importantly, Shrove Tuesday on, well, Tuesday, March 5th, 2019.
For details, please visit the Kurentovanje English website.
Cerknica Carnival
If we were looking for an overall theme of the Cerknica Pust tradition, we might find it in all possible expressions of political incorrectness. The festival starts with a transition of powers from the City Mayor to the Prince of Pust on Fat Thursday, February 28, and ends on Ash Wednesday, March 6th with the burning of and a funeral for Pust (for this occasion, Pust becomes a puppet in a coffin). The main character of Cerknica carnival is a witch (the big one is called Uršula), as Cerknica, or rather Slivnica, a hill right next to the town, is believed to be a traditional meeting point for witches from all over the country. The group of big headed and quite ugly people called Butalci (after a book), representing various idiotic aspects of Slovenian society and its citizens, is also getting bigger every year in Cerknica. For details in English click here.
Dragon Carnival Ljubljana, Saturday, March 2nd , 11:00
Dragon Carnival will start on Saturday, March 2nd at 11:00 am from Novi trg, then cross Cobbler’s Bridge to Mestni trg (City Square), from there along Stritarjeva St. to Perešeren Square, and from there on Wolfova to Zvezda Park. The Dragon Carnival includes groups of ethnologic characters, children’s and other organised groups, which will perform at their final destination in Kongresni trg, also known as Zvezda Park.
Prešerni (Cheerful) Carnival Kranj, Saturday, March 2nd, 11:00
In Kranj, the children’s Pipi Longstocking carnival will take place in the Main Square from 11:00 and the main carnival will begin at 14:00 at the Town Library, and will lead to Prešeren Theatre. For more details click here.
Istrian Carnival in Koper, Saturday, March 2nd, 15:00
For all of the events on the coast, please see the Istrian Carnival programme. In Koper, the procession of masks will begin at 15:00 on Saturday, March 2.
Litija Carnival, Saturday, March 2nd, 15:00, 20:00
The tradition of the Litija Carnival is to adopt a political topic, and this year is no different. Under the slogan “Litija first” this year’s carnival will be marked by Litija’s declaration of independence from Slovenia and the EU with a “Gala Independence Dance” starting at 20:00 at the Sport’s Hall with the pop singer Tanja Žagar. For details click here.
