Bicimatte Organizes Trip to Rijeka Carnival with Unique Vehicle Creations
Participating in person in the grand Rijeka Carnival in Croatia? It is possible. The folk group “Bicimatte” from San Tomaso di Lonato offers this opportunity, organizing a three-day trip by coach and allowing participants to ride their original creations.
The registration deadline is Tuesday the 15th. The trip will take place from March 4th to 6th and, in addition to the impressive carnival parade, which stretches over a 4-kilometer route through the city of Rijeka, it includes visits to the Sanctuary of Tersacco and the town of Rovigno.
Along with the coach, about twenty special vehicles designed and built by the group of friends from San Tomaso will also depart: bicycles activated horizontally because they have been converted into beds, those for divorced individuals, or equipped with a bathtub or a mobile toilet. “In previous years, the Bicimatte” – recall Luciano Roberti and Giovanni Casella, two of the most active members of the group – – have participated in the Carnivals of Trento, Viareggio, and other major events in the Mantova area and our province.
Participations and gatherings
On February 27th, they have been invited to parade in Busseto, in the province of Parma. It will be a sort of “preview” of the event in Croatian territory. In Rijeka, they will be main characters on March 5th, alongside another 140 groups, in front of an audience estimated to be over 100,000 people.
Origins and traditions of the Rijeka Carnival
The International Carnival of Rijeka (Fiume) has its roots in the Middle Ages. In the distant past, the carnival guests belonged to the Austrian and German nobility. There were also Russian countesses, barons from Central Europe, counts, and countesses from all over the Old Continent.
The carnival costumes of the city of Rijeka represent the connection between the European bourgeois carnival, particularly Venetian and Austrian, and the folkloric and mythological elements of ancient Slavs.
The most important event of the Carnival celebrations is the international parade: a procession of masks and costumes coming from the Croatian coast, from northern Croatia, as well as from abroad. To participate in the trip to Croatia, a valid ID card for travel abroad is required.
For reservations and registrations, there are two phone numbers available: 030 9131613 or 030 9132818. The deadline is still Tuesday the 15th.
