Vevcani Carnival according to its specific characteristics, separates itself from the rest of the world carnivals because of its archaicity, tradition, secrecy and unique masks. It is an event admired by thousands of foreign visitors every year, enriched with its cultural and historical value.
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| Entrance of Vevcani |
The Vevcani Carnival is more than 1,400 years old. The place of the carnival event is the whole city of Vevcani, which during its maintenance turns into a kind of theater without borders where every house and street is a scene where the masked perform their plays as real actors.
There are 3 traditional masks: son-in-law and bride, Silly August and musicians. The rest of the masks are smaller or larger carnival groups, which with the costumes, gestures and movements usually mock and stigmatize the phenomena and personalities of the social life.
Especially characteristic is the role of Silly August. This mask is usually worn by young people, full of energy, who communicate with the audience with unusual movements and gestures, but also with a characteristic scream.
During the carnival, the masked people have all the freedom and "enthusiasm" in "setting the world upside down", a freedom in which the creativity of the spirit, the meaning of improvisation, criticism and irony comes. Officially, women do not participate in the carnival. They still wear masks, but in the end they do not remove the masks like the rest. In 1993, the Vevcani Carnival or Vevcani became a member of the Federation European Carnival Cities where in great disagreement with Greece, Vevcani brought the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name. Immediately afterwards, the Vevcani initiative is animated for a national carnival association, which includes Strumica, Prilep and other places where the carnival tradition is to be revived.
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| Vevcani springs |
