BELE POKLADE / WHITE CARNEVAL

White Carnival (Bele poklade), the last day before the start of Great Lent, has always held a special place in the traditions of our people. It marked the culmination of White Week (Bela nedelja) — a period of final indulgence in rich, dairy-based foods and merrymaking before entering a time of fasting, restraint, and spiritual preparation for Easter. On this day, the table was traditionally laden with "white foods" such as cheese, milk, and clotted cream (kajmak), which gave the festival its name.

This year, I had the opportunity to capture how this ancient custom is still alive in Lozovik, a village that lovingly preserves its heritage.

During Bele poklade, masked participants, known as pokladari, parade through the village, visiting households, creating noise and commotion by banging and clanging to drive away evil forces and bring good fortune to each home, according to traditional belief.

The sight of this lively, noisy procession awakened the entire village — people stepped out of their houses, talking, laughing, and reconnecting. It was as if, even if only for a moment, everyone broke free from the autopilot of daily life and remembered the true meaning of community.

Gatherings like this awaken something deep within us and remind us how vital human connection is — whether through ancient customs or new forms of coming together.

I was especially fascinated by the costumes of the pokladari and the various improvised bells and instruments that produced their signature sounds. It was also heartwarming to see how many fellow photographers came to document the event — as if we all instinctively knew how important it is to preserve these moments from fading into oblivion.

Bele poklade are not just a local tradition — they connect peoples across the Balkans and beyond. In different forms, celebrations marking the end of winter and the beginning of Lent, often involving masks and purification rituals, are found throughout the region. This universality makes the custom even more beautiful — through various masks, games, and fire rituals, people have, for centuries, expressed the same hope: to banish evil and joyfully enter a new cycle of life.

The ritual bonfires lit at the end of the day — known by names such as oranice and maškare — held a deeply symbolic meaning of purification. It was believed that jumping over the flames would cleanse the harmful forces gathered during the day and protect households from misfortune throughout the fasting period.

These photographs were taken in Lozovik in 2025. I approached this event both as an ethnologist and as a documentary photographer, with the intention of preserving a record of Bele poklade as they exist today — as a living bridge between past and present.

Photographs by: Anđela Petrovski

Text by: Anđela Petrovski

Source on the custom: Religion of the Serbs in 100 Concepts by Dušan Bandić

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Bele poklade, poslednji dan pre početka Velikog posta, oduvek su imale posebno mesto u običajima našeg naroda. Predstavljale su vrhunac Bele nedelje – perioda kada se poslednji put uživalo u mrsnoj hrani i veselju, pre ulaska u vreme posta, uzdržavanja i pripreme za Vaskrs. Tog dana trpeza je bila bogata belom hranom – sirom, mlekom, kajmakom – po čemu su poklade i dobile ime.

Ove godine imala sam priliku da zabeležim kako ovaj stari običaj i danas živi u Lozoviku, mestu koje s puno ljubavi čuva svoje nasleđe.

Tokom poklada maskirani pokladari prolaze kroz selo, obilaze domaćine, stvarajući buku i lupanje kojima, prema verovanju, teraju zle sile i donose sreću kući.

Taj prizor, ta živa, glasna povorka, učinila je da se čitavo selo probudi – ljudi su izlazili iz svojih kuća, razgovarali, smejali se, družili… Kao da su svi, makar na tren, sišli s autopilota svakodnevice i setili se šta znači zajedništvo.

Ovakva okupljanja bude i podsećaju koliko su nam potrebni susreti, bilo kroz običaje, bilo kroz neke nove oblike zajedničkog okupljanja.

Posebno mi je bilo zanimljivo posmatrati kostime pokladara i razna improvizovana zvona i instrumente koji su proizvodili karakteristične zvuke. Radovalo me je i videti koliko je kolega fotografa došlo da ovekoveči ovaj događaj – kao da svi zajedno osećamo koliko je važno sačuvati ovakve trenutke od zaborava.

Bele poklade nisu samo lokalni običaj – one spajaju narode Balkana i šire. U različitim oblicima, proslave kraja zime i početka posta, uz maskiranje i rituale čišćenja, prisutne su širom regiona. Upravo ta univerzalnost čini ovaj običaj još lepšim – kroz različite maske, igre i vatrene rituale, ljudi su vekovima izražavali istu želju: da se zaštite od zla i da s radošću uđu u novi ciklus života.

Obredne vatre koje su se palile na kraju dana, poznate kao oranice, maškare itd., imale su simbolično značenje pročišćenja. Smatralo se da će skakanje kroz plamen pročistiti sile skupljene preko dana po domovima i čuvati od nesreća tokom predstojećeg posta.

Ove fotografije nastale su u Lozoviku 2025. godine. Pristupila sam ovom događaju iz ugla etnologije i dokumentarnog fotografa, sa željom da sačuvam svedočanstvo o pokladama onakvim kakve danas postoje – kao mostu između prošlosti i sadašnjosti.

Autor fotografija: Anđela Petrovski

Autor teksta: Anđela Petrovski

Izvor podataka o običaju: „Religija Srba u 100 pojmova“ Dušan Bandić