The Strumica Carnival is
a centuries-old tradition of the town under the Tsar’s Towers and
is directly connected to the religious festival Trimeri. The only
manifestation of such kind in Republic of Macedonia, dedicated to
the engaged girls.
The date changes depending on date of Easter and it is always on Tuesday
after Ash Monday. During the festivity after the carnival procession,
the masked groups visit the homes of the engaged girls where among
the masked, the girls should recognize their fiance.
The Strumica Carnival is a centuries-old
tradition and the first written sources come from the Turkish travel
writer Evlija Celebija.
To this day it is not remembered that a carnival did not take place,
and in the early 70-ties an effort has been made for its organization,
but after several years of successful organization, the organized
form has been discontinued, however regardless of that it continued
to take place spontaneously.
In 1991 again the organized form has been restored which regained
the splendor of the Strumica Carnival.
In 1994 Strumica became a member of the International Association
of the Carnival Cities FECC and in 1998 hosted the 18th International
Congress of the Carnival Cities. As a result from the co-operation
with this Association, co-operation and group exchange has been established
with many countries. |