uvod - prologueinfozbirka - uvodPtuj
[SLOVENSKO]
The collection of Shrovetide masks

This collection displays tradicional Shrovetide masks from the plains of Ptuj and the Drava, Haloze and Slovenske gorice, bearing witness to the rich tradition of masquerading in this region of north-eastern Slovenia.
virtualni vodnik - virtual guide
entry
Traditional Shrovetide figures and groups form the core of the collection and are arranged in the exhibition hall in the form of a carnival procession. Among them are numerous and different "orači" (ploughmen) who, by their symbolical ploughing of a farm's courtyard, wish the farm's owner a good harvest from the fields.
Children's masks are called "piceki" (chicken), "kokoti" (cocks) and "vile" (fairies) and they are followed by a "old woman carrying old man", a furry sackcloth bear, and horse masks called "ruse" wich wish good health to horses and other animals. Also interesting are "Jürek" and "Rabolj", nearly forgotten spring masks wich were revived in the 1980's. More recent, that is with only a few decades of tradition, are the "Gypsies" from Dornava. A special group of masked figures are the "ploharji" from Cirkovce and the "kopanja" from Markovci, who appeared on the scene when no girl from a village became married in the pre-Shrovetide period.
The final section of the collection is dedicated to the most popular and numerous Shrovetide figure, the feathered "korants" from the Ptuj plain and their horned fellows from Haloze and Lancova vas who, according to folk tradition, chase away winter and welcome back spring.