Vevchani, 14 January 2025 (MIA) — This year's Vevchani Carnival will close Tuesday afternoon with its traditional ritual of burning the carnival goers' masks, which locals believe cleanses them and chases away evil, MIA's Struga correspondent reports.

The people of Vevchani perform the fire ritual also to welcome the first day of the Julian year, the Orthodox New Year, which falls on Jan. 14 according to the Gregorian calendar.  

Earlier in the day, the Vevchani Carnival's groom, bride, devils and the foolish Augustuses, together with the rest of the masked carnival goers, will visit the homes of people named after Saint Basil.

According to MIA's correspondent, Vevchani over the past two days has been an open improv theater stage, with carnival goers parading before crowds of locals and tourists.

As is tradition, many carnival masks this year were inspired by political events.

Some of them were inspired by the office of former Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi and showed former DUI ministers playing football there. Recalling Grubi's escape from the country, people masked as Grubi also carried a suitcase from the state lottery, and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski gave them a red card.

Another person dressed up as former director of the secret police Sasho Mijalkov paraded through the streets of Vevchani in his red Ferrari.

Also through satire, the people of Vevchani demanded the old constitutional name of the country, the Republic of Macedonia, back on personal documents.

Parading through the streets were also monsters, princesses, snow queens, and Christmas trees.

The parade was led by the traditional Vevchani Carnival bride and groom, protected by some devils and foolish Augustuses, and followed by a marching band featuring bagpipes and drums.

According to organizers, the Vevchani Carnival is 15 centuries old. It dates back to the founding of the village and is a mix of pagan rituals and Christianity, marking the Christian holiday of St. Basil the Great and the arrival of the New Year according to the old, Julian calendar. mr/