VEVCANI CARNIVAL COMING UP
Culture.
The traditional Vevcani Carnival, which claims a 14 century long legacy, is held every year from 13 to 14 January in the southwestern Macedonian village of Vevcani.
Recognized by the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC), the carnival attracts thousands of both domestic and international visitors to see the people of Vevcani disguised in elaborate masks expressing humor and sarcasm. Some of the most common costumes include devils, demons and other mythical characters.
For over 1,400 years the Vevcani Carnival has been an interesting mix of paganism and modernism. The home setting of the carnival events is the village of Vevcani, which turns into a boundless theater, where each house and street is a scene on which disguised people perform plays like real actors.
A novelty of this year's festival edition is the New Year's bazaar for craftsmen and souvenir producers.
"One should attend the carnival and feel the Vevcani spirit and humour, where no one is forgiven, be it famous or common person", Liljana Popovska, chairperson of the Vevcani Carnival Board, told a press conference.
Official figures show that around 60,000 visitors attended the carnival in the past three years, each of them spending at least 10 euros. The event made a 600.000 euro boost to the country's economy.
This year's Vevcani Carnival is organized by Tetragon, association for alternative tourism "Balkanika" and association "Denica", along with the support from T-Home, ministries of culture and economy.
[MakFax]
