February

Tradition of disguising is very old in Slovenia. It has origins in the pagan times when people prayed for bigger harvest or just called more favourable weather or season (spring) in our case of carnival before Lent.
The Carnival's official duration is eleven days, and it calls itself the unique name of Kurentovanje. For this period outside everyday time and space, will be filled with music that makes you want to dance, beautiful and original carnival masks will delight or frighten you as Kurent groups consider this gathering their most prestigious annual event. During this ancient rite of spring, it is easy to entertain yourself among the numerous gatherings and parties.
In Slovenia, there many colourful carnival customs with more than a hundred different recognized mask styles. This is also the country's most celebrated mask festival and there will be rewards for the most creative and beautiful. This Kurent or Korant event is well known throughout Slovenia and increasingly finds itself on international visitor maps.

The Carnival season begins with the new year but official events organized by City open two weekends before Shrove Tuesday. During the Carnival evenings the town lights up, with art and theatre performances taking place throughout the streets, squares and special Carnival tents.
Yet Ptuj is not the only place where such parades are held. Almost every Slovenian region is famous for its scary traditional masks which chase winter away.
Cerknica Carnival know for a great parade featuring traditional animals with groups of dormice, frogs, boars, devils and witches. Popular signature figures are Uršula, the giant witch ancestress and Jezerko the lake monster and Butalci, half-wit inhabitants of the village of Butale.
 

Cerkno Carnival calls itself the Laufarija (from laufati - to run, laufen in German). The central carnival figure, the pust, personifies winter and is guilty for all the bad deeds in the town during the last year, so it is executed exactly as the bloody tradition has been passed down. Cerkno, located in western Slovenia, will have "laufarji", appearing in more than 25 different costume types some costumes are made of 10,000 plus ivy leaves and fir boughs and the pust can wear between 60 to 80 kilograms of moss while bearing little horns on his head and holding a young fir tree in his hands. Laufarji is the next most famous and original Shrovetide groups in Slovenia after the Korent.
Drežnica Carnival is well-known for its characteristic masks with demonic animal wooden faces which hide mischief makers spreading ashes and catching naughty people. The masks are among the most distinctive in the Slovenian Carnival tradition because they are carved from linden wood.

Doughnuts - Krofi (Slovenian doughnuts)

All masks ADORE doughnuts.
And when they go door to door asking for treat or tricks, you have to give them either sweets, doughnuts or a euro or two.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons lukewarm milk 1 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons flour 1 pkg. fresh yeast
4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pint sweet cream 1/2 pint milk
6 tablespoons sugar 1/4 lb sweet butter
4 egg yolks

Instructions:
Combine lukewarm milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, 3 teaspoons flour and yeast; stir to dissolve; set aside until foamy.

Mix together the 4 cups flour and salt. In saucepan, heat cream, milk, 6 tablespoons sugar and butter only until butter melts; cool. Make a well in flour and add milk mixture, yeast and egg yolks, Beat with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and has a bubbly consistency. Place dough in a bowl, cover and let rise in warm place about 2 hours.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface until about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut doughnuts with round cutter. Cover the cut-out doughnuts and let rise again.

Fry krofi in shortening. Do not crowd in the pan. Turn only once so that you get a nice white ring around the center. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.
When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

DOBER TEK!

Besides doughnuts, we often prepare so called mice (miške). It takes less time and preparation, and they are very tasty as well.

Miške - Mice

The name of this dish in Slovenian literally means 'mice' and the shape of these fried dumplings (in fact they're more like baking powder leavened doughnuts) resembles little mice. Very easy to prepare and very tasty they make an excellent sweet snack or even a dessert.

Ingredients:
250 ml yoghurt
300 g plain flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
1 tsp dark rum
grated lemon skin

icing sugar mixed with cinnamon, to dust
oil for frying

PREPARATION
Beat the yoghurt and egg in a bowl until smooth, then add the sugar, oil, salt and rum. Sift together the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl then mix in the flour until you have a stiff batter.
Add oil to a wok or deep fryer and when hot take the batter by the tablespoon and drop in the oil (the batter should be stiff enough that it just holds the shape of the spoon, giving you 'mouse' forms).
Fry for about 40 seconds on one side, or until golden brown then turn over and fry on the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon when done, dust with a mix of icing sugar and cinnamon and serve hot.

DOBER TEK!