CARNAVAL DE VEVČANI

This carnival (Вевчански Карневал/Vevčanski Karneval) is one of the most famous in the Balkans. Tradition has it being held in the village of Vevčani, near Lake Ohrid, since the ^6th century. It takes place on the occasion of the Orthodox New Year, January 14. Saint Basil is celebrated on this day, but the participants follow old pre-Christian Slavic rites: they dress up as monsters to scare away evil spirits. It's a rather chaotic affair, tinged with polemical messages that vary according to current events: anti-Greek, anti-sanitary measures, pro-Russian, etc.