The 5th annual Cleveland version of the most popular carnival in Slovenia - Kurentovanje - began with a parade. The units gathered at Sterle's on East 55th and marched up St Clair to the Slovenian National Home. Kurentovanje is a cultural event which connects ethnology, culture, arts, and people from all over Europe. It has been celebrated in Slovenia for the past 50 years. The central figure of the carnival, the Kurent, is believed to chase away winter and usher in spring with its supernatural powers. Kurentovanje has a Mardi Gras feel so many participants wore masks to help scare away winter. Did you know that there are more Slovenians in Cleveland Ohio than anywhere in the world except for Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia?
Here are some highlights from the 2017 5th annual Kurentovanje Parade in Cleveland as the parade stepped off from Sterle's on East 55th and headed to St Clair and ended at the Slovenian National Home. NOTE: All the images below with a white arrow in the middle are videos. (The other images are just photos) You can click on the white arrow to watch the video of whatever is described. Make sure your speakers are on and you can make the video full screen once it begins by clicking the icon in the lower right corner.
When the parade arrived at the Slovenian National Home on St. Clair, the crowds moved inside for more entertainment, music, vendors and food and drink.
See Kurentovanje Festivities from the Slovenian National Home
The Folklorna Skupina Kres was established in 1954 and the current group of Kres Slovenian Folklore Dancers performed at the 5th annual Cleveland Kurentovanje Festival.
See photos and videos from the Folklorna Skupina Kres at Kurentovanje
The PIAST Polish Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America performed at the 2017 Kurentovanje Festival at the Slovenian National Home. The dancers performed a Pysanky Dance where the young ladies dressed as Easter Eggs - pysanky - and the young men dressed as roosters. They also danced some old Warsaw polkas.
More from the PIAST performance at Kurentovanje
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