Winter carnival lights up village in North Macedonia

(16 Jan 2023) NORTH MACEDONIA CARNIVAL SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS RESTRICTION SUMMARY: LENGTH: 5:32 ASSOCIATED PRESS Vevcani, North Macedonia - 13 January 2023 1. Various of revellers preparing for the carnival 2. SOUNDBITE (Macedonian) Saso Betoski, 45 year-old resident of Vevcani: "The carnival represents a sanctity. These two days, the universe is opened for Vevcani. All heavenly forces are in Vevcani." 3. Revellers walking 4. SOUNDBITE (Macedonian) Saso Betoski, 45 year-old resident of Vevcani: "The people here have been keeping this tradition for centuries and we are continuing it, passing it on to our children and the next generations." 5. Musicians walk in front of revellers 6. Various of revellers walking prior the parade 7. Various of revelers jumping on a wrecked car 8. Various of musicians playing and revellers dancing prior the carnival parade 9. Men disguised as spiders crawl 10. Various of revellers dancing and performing during the parade 11. Mid on a Christmas tree placed at the Vevcani administrative building LEADIN: Thousands of revelers in quirky costumes have attended a New Year carnival in a secluded North Macedonian village. The 1,400-year-old tradition marks the beginning of 2023, according to the Julian calendar. STORYLINE: Every year, thousands of people in outlandish costumes take to the streets of the otherwise sleepy village of Vevcani in North Macedonia for a traditional carnival celebration. Said to date from 1,400 years ago, the Vevcani carnival, with its colourful floats and masked revellers, takes place on 13 January and has grown in popularity over the last decades. It now attracts thousands of visitors for the celebrations to welcome in the New Year according to the Julian calendar. For local resident Saso Betoski, the carnival "represents a sanctity." "These two days, the universe is opened for Vevcani. All heavenly forces are in Vevcani," he says. Although the event attracts tourists, Betoski says the tradition has been kept alive thanks to the residents of the village. "The people here have been keeping this tradition for centuries and we are continuing it, passing it on to our children and the next generations," says Betoski. Participants in the carnival, which has pagan roots, often highlight political satire, with masked local people acting out the current events and playing traditional music. The unique masks worn are a tightly kept secret until the day of the parade. The most common costumes include devils, demons, and other mythical characters, with some inspired by pagan beliefs and rituals. Vevcani is nestled on the forested slopes of the Jablanica mountain in the southwest of North Macedonia.   At the end of the last century, the village created its own constitution, its own currency and a passport, declaring the independent Republic of Vevcani. Its self-declared independence is seen as a tongue-in-cheek effort to draw tourists and poke fun at politics, with the mayor of Vevcani gifting passports of The Republic of Vevcani to selected guests. AP Video by Boris Grdanoski. ==== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: [email protected]. (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...