Each year, the Macedonian village of Vevcani marks the Orthodox St. Vasilij Day -- the beginning of the old Julian calendar -- with a 1,400-year-old carnival rooted in pre-Christian traditions. Performers revel in the streets wearing masks that reflect pagan rituals, religious issues, or political satires of current events. Below are some images of the costumes and parades in Vevcani over the past few years.
The Carnival of Vevcani
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Read moreA reveler applies a mask before parading the streets during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, some 170 km (106 miles) from the Macedonian capital of Skopje, on January 13, 2013. Vevcani village marks the Orthodox St. Vasilij Day annually with a carnival that features a 1,400-year-old celebration with pagan roots. Highlights of the carnival include a political satire where masked villagers act out current events. #
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Read moreDisguised men perform along a street during a carnival in southwestern Macedonia's village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2010. #
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Read moreA parade performer, during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, on January 14, 2013. #
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Read moreA reveler wearing his costume walks down the stairs during preparations for a carnival marking the Orthodox St. Vasilij Day at the village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2011. #
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Read moreA parade in the streets during the Vevcani carnival, on January 13, 2012. #
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Read moreA villager dressed as a witch participates in a pagan ritual in the village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2007. #
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Read moreMasked villagers parade in the Vevcani carnival, on January 13, 2013. #
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Read moreRevelers disguised as werewolves participate in a carnival procession through the village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2009. #
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Read moreA reveler leaps a bonfire during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, on January 14, 2013. #
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Read moreVillagers dressed as heads on dinner plates perform in the village of Vevcani, on January 14, 2006. #
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Read moreRevelers parade the streets during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, on January 14, 2013. #
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Read moreMasked men participate in a carnival procession through Vevcani, on January 13, 2010. #
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Read moreRevelers parade the streets during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2011. #
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Read moreThe streets of Vevcani, on January 13, 2012. #
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Read moreA photographer is pushed by a reveler at a parade during a carnival in Vevcani, on January 13, 2014. #
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Read moreMasked performers parade the streets in Vevcani, on January 13, 2014. #
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Read moreA street scene during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2012. #
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Read moreA carnival procession through Vevcani, on January 13, 2011. #
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Read moreA masked reveler in the village of Vevcani, on January 13, 2010. #
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Read moreA masked musician, during the carnival in Vevcani, on January 13, 2011. #
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Read moreChildren watch the parade pass during the Vevcani Carnival, on January 13, 2009. #
Reuters/Ognen Teofilovski
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