Annual Carnival Bell Ringers' Pageant from the Kastav Area

Godišnji pokladni ophod zvončara s područja Kastavštine

During the Carnival period (between January 17 and Ash Wednesday), about ten groups of men called zvončari (bell ringers) in the Kastav area march through their own and surrounding villages in processions via traditional routes several kilometers long. Some wear masks and others different headgear symbolizing vegetation and fertility; all wear sheepskin throws turned inside-out and large bells around their waists, after which they are named. They ring their bells by moving in specific ways requiring skill and physical endurance, visiting households, dancing, and symbolically driving away winter and evil forces while renewing community bonds. The main three-day pageant runs from the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday through Shrove Tuesday, when the Pust effigy is burnt.