Vortová carnival procession

Still retained in Vortová and in several other towns in the area of Hlinsko is the old folk tradition of the carnival parade of masks, which in 2010 was registered in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The look of each mask is the same as it was at the beginning of the last century. As elsewhere, only men are behind the masks in Vorta, with each mask having a certain role and place in the parade. The mare always leads the parade with the rat-catcher pushing her along from behind, and after them comes the spotted ones with a woman and the Turks, followed by chimney sweeps, straw threshers and Jews, all accompanied by a crisp brass band.