6K'18

This sort of revelry had been done for centuries in Slovenija before Ash Wednesday, especially on the Tuesday prior. In Cleveland, it is the Saturday prior (this year the 10th of February). After World War II, a more pagan version was done up large in the oldest settlement in the nation, at Ptuj. People lived there before the Slavs came, before the Romans came, and further back. To promote Cleveland's oldest formerly Slovene neighbourhood, the idea was imported. [2014 click]

Not a good day. Freezing rain and damp almost foggy air. The parade route was reduced (it was scheduled to be shorter than other years), the parade was smaller, construction barricades interrupted, sidewalks were not shovelled, but the police were less visible. This is the third time i went, once the weather was too snowy and windy to get there. People with telephones were photo bombing everywhere, constantly five feet or so from subjects, and some made themselves tandem to the parade. I do not believe they were getting good pictures, but they were excelling in preventing others to get clear shots. It was difficult to frame a good shot. I used two cameras, and they would not always focus. I took way too many pictures, and mostly bad shots. A high percentage of fotos were deleted. 

After the parade i went inside the auditorium, went into the balcony, and had a good view of the dancers. One woman in particular, or her hands and her stinking phone, were in the majority of those fotos. Came home cold, wet, and in bad temper. The celebration follows a movable feast, so next year it is on the 3rd of March.

The entire time it was twenty-nine with freezing rain.

The parade began with Austrian St. Nicholas' Day characters, the bishop and the krampus devils. This is also a masquerade, people can come as other characters, often only a papier-mâché mask.
 
The Art Museum had a quartet of demon Afro-Caribbean demon cattle.

A kurent and two devils. Included in the duties of a kurent is to chase away winter. First the concept has to become familiar to an American audience. Not many neighbourhood residents come out to watch.

A Slovene folk dance troupe did two fine group dances.