Kurent

This week first KURENTs appeared at Ptuj, some of them even came to Ljubljana.And this is really a good sign ! Kurent, a pre historical Slovenian god of spring,fertility,is now an unique ethnological Ptuj carnival figure.Jumping around, ringing with their bells, kurents fight winter and evil .Spring can come to country!

The Kurent-Korant wears a massive sheepskin garment. Around its waist hangs a chain with huge bells attached—the resulting noise does a great job of chasing away winter, which is, ostensibly, the Kurent’s function. The Korent also wears heavy boots and special red or green leg warmers, while the head is covered by a towering furry hat festooned with ribbons, and a mask typically sporting a long, red tongue. A wooden club is normally carried in the left hand. By the end of Carnival a Kurent will have collected many handkerchiefs (given by girls & women) which he carries tied around the club.

from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurentovanje