Carnival in CroatiaThe carnival in Croatia is a fun time - here is an account from Dalmatia by Vivan Grisogono. Dalmatians need little excuse for revelry, so the days leading up to the austerity of Lent are well filled. Weddings are celebrated in this "window" between Advent and Easter. As in many Catholic countries, masquerades are part of a long tradition of pre-Lent festivities.
The northern port of Rijeka is particularly renowned for its masked balls and carnival events, and many head there for the weekend before Shrove Tuesday for a spell of intense partying. Masquerades traditionally allowed people a freedom to behave in ways that they could not if they were identifiable. They were especially good cover for illicit liaisons. Now that modern-day societies are less restrictive, even in Catholic countries, carnivals and masquerades are a means of self-expression, calling on imagination and creative skills to form joyous images for communal enjoyment.
In Jelsa the tradition is for junior schools from all over the island to parade in costume on the two days leading up to Ash Wednesday. The kindergartens have their turn on Monday, the older children on Tuesday, and the whole community comes to offer support and enjoy the occasion. The groups start off from the Jelsa kindergarten on the waterfront, walk to the edge of the town, and then back into the main square, where they parade on a little stage. There’s singing, and some children recite poetry, although it’s not always audible unless you can elbow your way to the stage through the proud parents.
The costumes for the carnival in Croatia are always charming, each group with its own theme. This year the Starigrad children dressed as peasants riding donkeys, while the Hvar children were visitors landed from the blue planet for the carnival, and the fishing port of Vrboska displayed wonderfully coloured fish costumes. Others were dominoes, supermen, weird and wonderful magical creatures, fairy princesses, and a specially bright splash of colour was provided by a group proudly swishing by in beautiful silken Chinese-style robes.
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