Collection of Traditional Carnival Masks
The Ptuj and Drava Fields, Haloze and Slovenske Gorice hills represent an area in the north-eastern part of Slovenia, famous for the number and variety of traditional carnival masks. The collection consists of »the ploughmen«, »the rusa« (a four-legged zoomorphic mask of a horse), »the bear«, »the old woman carrying the old man«, »the Jürek« from Haloze, »the log-haulers«, »the trough«, »the cockerel«, »the hen«, »the Fairies«, Gypsies from Dornava, »the spearsmen«, the Korant, and the Devil.
The most popular and well-known traditional figure is Korant or Kurent. Its origin has still not been completely unveiled, although there are some assumptions as to its connection to the Illyrian and Celtic traditon, to mythical followers of the late antique goddess Cybele, to ancestors of the Slovene nation, to the settlement of Uskoks (the Balkan rebel deserters) in the 16th century, and many others.
According to an ancient belief, the Korant is a demon chasing winter away to call spring to the country.