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Kurent or korant, as people in the countryside call it, is the most popular and popular traditional carnival character. Its origin is not completely known, but there are several assumptions. They are related to the Illyrian-Celtic tradition, some mention the mythological companions of the goddess Cybele, who was worshiped in the Roman Poetovione in late antiquity, some equate the Kurent with the ancestors of the Slovenes, others with the settlement of the Uskoks in the 16th century,…
Kurent or korant, as people in the countryside call it, is the most popular and popular traditional carnival character. Its origin is not completely known, but there are several assumptions. They are related to the Illyrian-Celtic tradition, some mention the mythological companions of the goddess Cybele, who was worshiped in the Roman Poetovione in late antiquity, some equate the Kurent with the ancestors of the Slovenes, others with the settlement of the Uskoks in the 16th century,…
Only young men could dress as Kurents in the past. Between Candlemas on 2 February and Ash Wednesday, groups of Kurents walked through their home and neighboring villages in the company of the devil, who stole a sausage or two from the house. Their visit brought luck to the house in the coming year. If Kurents rolled themselves on the ground on the homestead’s yard, that brought a year of bad luck. In the second half of the 20th century, they started frequenting Ptuj in greater numbers, and making appearances at Kurentovanje and other organized carnival and folk events in Slovenia and abroad.
Today, about a thousand of Kurents form a number of village and town groups – most of them are young men, but some young women joined them in recent times. Only a few artisans know how to make Kurentija – Kurent’s costume. Although the costumes are pricey, the number of orders keeps increasing through years, proving the growing popularity of Kurent’s heritage.
Artwork: Port of Oman
Entry of Kurent walks on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Great recognition from Unesco
Kurent - the most popular carnival character
At its annual meeting, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the entry of the Door-to-door rounds of Kurenti on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The inclusion of Kurent walks on the world list is the final step in many years of efforts of the Ptuj region and Slovenia, a historic achievement in preserving the national cultural heritage and achieving even greater international recognition of the Kurent carnival character on the world map.
Speaking at the session, the then Mayor of Ptuj Miran Senčar said: "First of all, I would like to thank all generations of Kurents and Korants, who have nurtured the cultural heritage of Kurent visits for centuries to be included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Thanks are also due to all ethnographic and carnival groups, which are an indispensable part of the carnival tradition in Ptuj. We are honored that the Kurent tours have become part of world-famous treasures by being inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. "
A representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind is one of the most visible expressions of protection of the intangible cultural heritage in the international environment. Intangible heritage includes practices, presentations, expressions, knowledge, skills and related tools, objects, products and cultural spaces and also individuals recognize it as part of their cultural heritage. According to Branko Brumen, Vice-President of the Federation of European Carnival Cities and President of Ptuj's Kurentovanje, the Kurent Rite placed Ptuj and Slovenia in the UNESCO list of treasures of millennia of cultural heritage and spirituality of mankind: "Ethnographic cultural heritage and humanity. That is why the protection, care and preservation of this heritage is of key importance for future generations. "
Public institution Ptuj
Organizer of Kurentovanje
Mestni trg 4,
SI-2250 Ptuj
T: +386 (0) 2 779 60 11
pr@kurentovanje.net
info@kurentovanje.net