Carnival in Šoštanj
Šoštanj is a well-known carnival town that is gaining a prominent position on the European carnival map.
The largest carnival in the Šaleška Valley
The origins of the carnival in Šoštanj can be traced back to 1953. On carnival day, “Janez’s mother,” a prominent innkeeper from Lajš, rode her horse to Mravljak Brothers’ Square in Šoštanj. The horse was tied to a “block,” which was a metaphor for unmarried young men and women. She was followed by a colourful procession of various masks. The event was admired by many curious people.
The Šoštanj Basket is the most famous carnival mask of the Carnival in Šoštanj. The Šoštanj Basket represents a tanner’s leisure time. According to carnival legend, the “manufacturer Vošnjak” paid his employees well. On payment days, they put on their gentleman’s hats and went to the inn. As their wives also waited for their well-deserved pay, they slung the baskets over their shoulders and went looking for their exhausted husbands in the evening. Their croaking had not stopped and would not stop as they carried them home. As a result, you can still see a basket with “the strong guy” in it today. Every carnival in Šoštanj and elsewhere is accompanied by the croaking of old wives.
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