Rijeka Carnival
Rijeka Carnival is by far the most memorable carnival in Croatia. It is the international carnival parade and the culmination of carnival events throughout Kvarner region and surroundings. The colorful and cheerful parades are traditionally joined by masks from different parts of Croatia and neighboring countries, resulting in an endless stream of thousands of masks that compete with humor, originality, and creativity. The Rijeka Carnival was held in 1982 for the first time, but only as the peak of the multi-century tradition of carnival ceremonies in Kvarner. In that year, only three masked groups paraded in Korzo, whilst today there are more than 100 of them attending, with more than 10,000 participants and 100,000 spectators. The specialty of the International Carnival Parade in Rijeka is the participation of Zvončari (The Bellmen) - famous patrons of cattle-breeding magic in Croatia. The largest number of The Bellmen are from Kastav, which is above Rijeka. The Bellmen are listed on the list of non-material goods of the Republic of Croatia and we can recognize them by sheepskin, bells, stylized masks depicting animal heads with tongue and horns. The Bellmen tradition is a legacy of pagan beliefs, and the annual parade is associated with the ancient ways of chasing winter away and anticipation of spring. The Rijeka Carnival is a series of manifestations that mark the end of winter and the expectation of spring, and the culmination is the International Carnival that takes place on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which a Christian memorial marking the beginning of the Lenten. So rent an apartment, room or vacation house in Rijeka, wake your creativity and say goodbye to your seriousness and restraint - put your most colorful and glittering mask on and get into the river of unrestrained people in Rijeka. The Rijeka Carnival is a place where the impossible can happen, and we can become everything in the world we might want, at least for a day. Goodbye winter, hello spring!
