Zvončari
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Place of origin | Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia |
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Annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant from the Kastav area | |
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Country | Croatia |
Reference | 00243 |
Region | Europe and North America |
Inscription history | |
Inscription | 2009 (4th session) |
List | Representative |
Zvončari ("bellmen") is the characteristic folk custom maintained in the region around
The custom dates to
Description
The standard Zvončar costume includes white trousers, striped shirt, and a sheepskin throw. In their hands they hold a "balta" or "bačuka" — a stylized mace, and around the waist one or more big brass bells. The costume varies from village to village; for example, Zvončari of Halubje and Grobnik (Dondolaši) wear special stylized masks representing fantastic animal heads, while Zvončari of Žejane (populated by Istro-Romanians) and Brgud wear "flower hats". Local legend claims that it was the Zvončari that scared away invading Tatars or Turks during the Ottoman conquest, with shepherds doning masks on their heads, along with belted-on bells, produced a deafening noise that scared the enemy away. From that time on, a mace became part of the standard equipment of Zvončari.[2]
The Zvončari participate regularly in the international Rijeka Carnival.
See also
- Busójárás
- Kurentovanje
- Pre-Christian Alpine traditions
- Rijeka carnival
References
- ^ UNESCO: Annual carnival bell ringers’ pageant from the Kastav area
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-25.