These photographs of Europe’s Wild Men are so haunting and captivating to me. I love that, in some pictures, the costumes are convincing and intense (sometimes terrifying), and in others, they are silly and humorous (I love seeing the feet of the men attired). The images were featured in an article on the National Geographic website earlier this year.
From the article: A primal heart still beats in Europe. Deep beneath the gloss of cell phone sophistication lie rituals that hark back to harvests and solstices and fear of the winter dark. Monsters loom in this shadowy heart, but so does the promise of spring’s rebirth and fertile crops and women cradling newborn babes. It turns out that Europe—at least pockets of it—has not lost its connection to nature’s rhythms.
Photographer Charles Fréger set out to capture what he calls “tribal Europe” over two winters of travel through 19 countries. The forms of the costumes that he chronicled vary between regions and even between villages. In Corlata, Romania, men dress as stags reenacting a hunt with dancers. In Sardinia, Italy, goats, deer, boars, or bears may play the sacrificial role. Throughout Austria, Krampus, the beastly counterpart to St. Nicholas, frightens naughty children.
Read the rest of the article and see many more pictures on the National Geographic website. Fréger’s book of these images, Wilder Mann: The Image of the Savage, was published in 2012.
France: Spring festivals in the Pyrenees feature local men playing the role of bears awakening from hibernation
Portugal: During Carnival in Lazarim characters called “caretos” parade through the village in hand-carved masks to a bonfire where effigies known as the comadre and compadre are burned
Italy: Schnappviecher (snapping beast) on Shrove Tuesday
France: Bear at the Festival of the Bears
Spain: Zezengorri at Carnival
Switzerland: Sauvage at Carnival
Czech Republic: In the village of Nedašov, devils join the retinue of St. Nicholas to frighten children into being good
Scotland: Thousands of burrs adorn the Burryman. The man who plays the role at the Ferry Fair in Queensferry must collect all the burrs himself. Once dressed, he walks the town, accepting offers of money and whiskey and bestowing good luck.
Bulgaria: On New Year’s Day men cover themselves with goatskins to impersonate the Kukeri, who both embody and chase away evil spirits. In the past they’d brush against women to bestow fertility.
Visit artist's site: charlesfreger.com
Source: National Geographic
Posted August 19th, 2013
