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The traditional carnival of Rijeka stems from carnival balls that took place in this region about a hundred years ago, and the tradition of masking has been going on for centuries, ever since Zvončari (men wearing animal masks on their heads) used to make a huge noise to chase away the forces of evil and announce the arrival of spring. Although this town lives with its tradition all the time, the climax is the last Sunday before the Ash Wednesday, when specially organized parades go through the streets of the center. The first masked parades walked the street of Korzo in 1982, and since then the Carnival has grown into a manifestation visited by about 100 000 people from all over the world. The Carnival of Rijeka is one of the biggest in Europe, very special because of its atmosphere, where tradition, mithology and current events become one. The participants mask themselves in Zvončari, characters of ancient Slavic mithology and Austro-Hungarian and Venetian noblemen. You will surely see masks of current events protagonists and cartoon and film characters, and try delicious delicacies of the region, as the ones coming from the guest countries. There is also a Queen of the carneval pageant and the handover of the keys to thecity to the masks, and the entertaining program – concerts, exhibits and shows gets richer every year. The highlight of the event is the traditional carnival ball that takes place in the Governor's palace, with a lot of Croatian and world famous celebrities .
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