The Carnival Festival is held every January 6th in Polenë, one of the most beautiful and traditional villages in the Municipality of Korça.
This unique tradition, similar to those in some Balkan countries, is connected to ancient rituals.
The residents of Polenë dress in costumes made from animal skins and perform based on a specific storyline.
The ancient Carnival of Polenë is a treasured cultural value of Korça.
“The Arabs of Polena” is a 300-year-old folk performance that has endured to this day as a testament to tradition, as well as an early form of dramatic art and pantomime. It reveals traces of ceremonies, rituals from ancient cults, elements of customs, traditions, and mythological features.
Everything begins to take shape on the evening of January 5th. The “Arabs” roam the village streets, ringing the bells they wear around their waists, creating noise, mischief, and a great commotion. But as January 6th dawns, the bells fall silent, giving way to the chime of the Church of Saint Sotiri’s bell, where the ceremony of the blessing of the water takes place.
CREATED by:
“KORÇA BOOM”
