[PHOTOS] 190th Samobor Fašnik Starts

by croatiaweek
January 30, 2016
in Entertainment

Samobor Fašnik opened last night

The Samobor Fašnik is one of the oldest carnivals in Croatia…

Samobor, a city of around 40,000 people located in the Zagreb County, last night became the Fašnik Republic for the 190th time as the eagerly awaited traditional carnival opened on Friday night.

The Samoborski Fašnik, which this year runs from 29 January until 9 February, is a manifestation which the people of Samobor have been celebrating for close to two centuries. It is a time where the locals ‘chase away evil spirits from the year that just ended, bid goodbye to winter, and open their hearts and hopes to the upcoming spring’ with a host of fun carnival activities in the town.

Since 1855, Samobor has been the heart of the carnival scene in this region of Croatia. During the carnival days, Samobor streets are filled of masked madness, song and dance as the locals embrace the welcoming of the ‘new life’. Traditions during the 11-day carnival include the trial in the main town square of the Prince of the Carnival. Guilty of all things bad that happened in the last year, he is put on trial.

All the anger and misery is vented upon him, and then on ‘Shrove Thursday’ he is burned in a spectacular ceremony. The tradition of the burning ceremony goes back a long time. The belief is that burning the Fašnik will rid of all the negativity from last year and clean the slate for the coming year. Once the Fašnik has been dealt to, big celebrations start to set the tone for the year ahead.

There will be a host of events for young and old during this year’s Fašnik. Concerts include: Baruni (30.1.), Minea (31.1.), Picksiebneri (31.1.), Crvena jabuka (5.2.), Dječaci (6.2.), Kim Verson (7.2., Dječji fašnik), Od sumraka do zore (7.2.), Miroslav Škoro (9.2.) and many more.