Mon 26.Apr.2010
Ptuj, Slovenia
Flea Market Day
No kidding. The day after the little medieval theme fair, the whole
pedestrian zone in the old city turned into a flea market. Local fruit,
produce, handcrafts, clothing of all sorts, imitation designer watches
and handbags.
If you dance with this woman, you are braver or more desperate than I.
Or perhaps you simply wear Birkenstocks less than I do.
This kachina-like figure represents
Kurent, "
a unique Shrovetide
character of our past and present. His
primary quest is to chase away the evil and introduce the good",
as the
Slovenia Times puts it.
Kurent plays a central part in Ptuj's famous pre-lenten (i.e.
Mardi Gras) festivities, which go by the name
Kurentovanje.
Here is
Wikipedia in English on the subject. (I found far more references,
if
less useful for our purpose, in Slovene.)
People portraying kurent(s) in the festivals are completely hidden in
shaggy sheepskins and decorative stuff like feathers. A quick google of
"kurent" will get you pictures of them. Those costumes look well-suited
(so to speak) to Central European February.
All this and holy matrimony too. There was a wedding going on in the
town hall, with a crowd of supporters and a polka band waiting outside
for them when they emerged.
This van was parked near the
matrimonial getaway limo.
With a brighter sun the last day or two, that pink wall looks pretty
interesting up close.
Yes that street scene is a repeat from about a week ago. It is here to
show the context of the pink wall.
I am told that this hazy atmosphere is considered ideal weather here.
When the air becomes clear, and the hills on the horizon become sharply
visible, cold and rain are on the way.
Not that people mind having the day be warm and sunny. Just keep
it hazy.
And so, as the sun etc etc...
See you next time.
Contents Copyright 2012 Jeff Bulf