The Dark Origins of the Carnival. The Trial of Death, Fertility Rites, and Bear Dances

A journey into the dark side of the European carnival: brutal games, costumed bears, and ritual executions. The cultural origins of carnival customs: from the bloody ancient Roman Lupercalia to Slavic fertility rites. A serious yet captivating read with accurate historical details about the bizarre and frightening celebration.

The origins of the carnival are everywhere — in all places where people have worries, where they sought and found ways to alleviate the eternal anxiety about the future. Yet behind the merriment and festive atmosphere lay ancient magical and brutal rituals.

Roman races on wild horses, bullfights within the walls of the Vatican. Venetian masks behind which players and sinners hide. German jesters with clubs. And nearby — ritual plowing of the land, treatment of arthritis with bear dances, and bonfires made from the effigy of Maslenitsa. All this is the forgotten, frightening, and bizarre face of the Carnival.

Neither the snow will melt, nor the seeds will sprout, nor will the animals breed — none of this will happen just like that. Logs must be dragged through the streets, jesters must blacken their faces, there must be a mock bear hunt, and the dancing Kurents and bushars with kukers must drown out the ringing of huge bells.

Behind all this carnival nonsense — serious research, historical sources, and an attempt to understand where the strange and frightening festive customs of Europe came from.