Celebrating Masopust, The Czech Republic's Crazy Carnival

A parade participant wears a meat-based costume in Roztoky. Sausages, pork, and goulash are common parts of Masopust celebrations on the eve of Lent, but few Czechs follow the Christian tradition of giving up meat after the party ends.

Masopust celebrations were discouraged or forbidden under Czechoslovakia’s communist regime, but the holiday has made a comeback since the 1990s.
 

Spectators without costumes might wind up wearing face paint. 

Some costumes, like this flowered hat, draw on the folklore traditions of Czech towns and villages.

Other costumes simply draw on participants' imaginations. 

"Cleaning women" use their brooms to clear the way for the parade. 

Weary chickens make their way into the countryside outside Roztoky as the parade continues toward sundown.