[custom_adv] Local villagers wearing homemade costumes parade during a carnival celebration marking the Orthodox St. Vasilij Day in the village of Vevcani, about 170 kms from the capital of Skopje, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 13 January 2019. [custom_adv] The Vevcani Carnival is one of the most famous village festivals in the Balkans. It is believed that the custom is over 1,400 years old. [custom_adv] It is based on old pagan beliefs and rituals. Essentially the carnival is the ritual of calling after Saint Basil the Great, which coincides with the Twelve Days of the Orthodox Christmas and the Orthodox New Year. [custom_adv] The festivity is held on 13 and 14 January every year. The carnival witnesses the passing of the old year and the coming of the new one. Vevcanci believe that with their masks they banish evil spirits from their lives. [custom_adv] The participants of the carnival are known as Vasilicari. Highlights of the event include a political satire where masked villagers act out current events. [custom_adv] In 1993, the carnival and the village of Vevcani officially became a part of the World Federation of Carnival CitiesMacedonian revellers are flocking in their thousands to celebrate one of the longest-running, and strangest, carnivals in the world. [custom_adv] Featuring swastikas, zombies and skeletons, there is no shortage of pomp and pageantry at the Vevcani Carnival, which is believed to be 1,400 years old. [custom_adv] The pagan festival is held every year on the eve of the feast of Saint Basil (January 14), which also denotes the beginning of the New Year according to the Julian calendar, observed by the Macedonian Orthodox Church. [custom_adv] Combining pre-Christian customs with modern forms of expression, the Vevcani Carnival is said to ‘transform the needs of contemporary society’ by addressing topics of the day. [custom_adv] Named after the village of Vevčani, the Carnival officially became a part of the World Federation of Carnival Cities in 1993. [custom_adv] During the boisterous proceedings, traditional music is played on zurlas (a traditional double-reed woodwind instrument) and drums by Carnival participants known as ‘Vasiličari’. [custom_adv] And carnival-goers lacking the necessary instruments still make their presence heard with bells, pots, pans, and even bins.