Riječki karneval

The main event of the Rijeka Carnival is the march through the city centre on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Numerous locals from the region attend to parade as groups dressed up in different themes, and tens of thousands spectate the event through the day. It is known as the biggest carnival in all of Croatia!

I wasn’t around for last year’s carnival, but this time I got the chance to head into the city and see it for myself. The carnival itself has been a long-standing tradition with evidence of a carnival dating back to 1449, but it was only officially established 36 years ago in 1982.

The first official carnival had 3 groups, of which all 3 have attended every year since, but now it has grown to over 100. This year saw groups from gardeners to grannies, and skeletons to sailors.

The march usually starts at noon when the groups begin walking past town hall the meet with the Mayor of the city, the Carnival Queen and Meštar Toni. The march can typically last for around 8 hours with the last group being the Halubajski zvončari (The Bellmen) which is a traditional folk group dating back to pagan times that scare off evil spirits after winter, ready for Spring to begin.

During the carnival time, it is their job to travel from village to village to scare off the spirits using large brass bells. The costume varies from village to village, but typically consists of a mask with horns, a sheepskin cape, striped shirt, white trousers, a bell on their waist, and holding a mace called a balta in their hands. The end of their journey is passing through Rijeka city centre to conclude the carnival.

Albeit a pretty chilly day (a drink and dance usually warms everyone up!), it was still a great experience and a must if you’re visiting the region at this time of year!