1. Photographer Charles Freger set out to capture what he calls “tribal Europe” over two winters of travel through 19 countries.
Deep beneath the gloss of cell phone sophistication lie rituals that hark back to harvests and solstices and fear of the winter dark.
The celebrations occur across the European continent from the beginning of December until Easter. Men--and until recently, it has almost always been men--don costumes that hide their faces and conceal their true forms. Then they take to the streets, where their disguises allow them to cross the line between human and animal, real and spiritual, civilization and wilderness, death and rebirth.

2. CZECH REPUBLIC
When jolly St. Nicholas visits the villages of Vysocina, he is joined by someone dressed as Smrt, or Death, whose scythe catches sinners.

3. 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.

4. Austria
Every five years the men of Telfs collect lichen to create Wilder Mann, or Wild Man, costumes for the town’s carnival festival. Tradition dictates that they nibble on a piece of this lichen before the festivities.

5. Austria
Krampus on St. Nicholas’s Eve

6. Germany
On Christmas Eve Pelzmartle appears in the village of Bad Herrenalb with the Christkind (Baby Jesus) to scold naughty children and rap them with a stick. The straw costume is sewn on to the wearer.

7. Germany
Strohmann at Carnival.

8. Spain
Juantramposo, a mischief-maker, appears on Mardi Gras in Alsasua. The festival ends with all participants taking part in a celebratory dance.

9. Spain
Zezengorri at Carnival

10. France
Spring festivals in the Pyrenees feature local men playing the role of bears awakening from hibernation.

11. France
Bear at the Festival of the Bears

12. 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.

13. Romania
A stag on New Year’s Day

14. Switzerland
Sauvage at Carnival.

15. Italy
Boes on the Eve of St. Anthony

16. Poland
Macidulas on New Year’s Day

17. possible writing ideas...
Compare at least two countries in your practice writing, using geography references (east of Italy), visual details to explain the costume to someone who hasn’t seen it, and important information about the traditions.
Why do most people enjoy dressing up in costumes? Tell about a time when you dressed up and why you liked the disguise.
Consider your thinking about disguises and dressing up. How do masks give us power? What masks do we wear each day?
Wild men “live in the modern era but embrace old traditions.” What old traditions do you or your family hold to? Tell about them.
There were 11 European countries represented in this slideshow. Which are you most interested in visiting?
All of the costumes connect to the outdoors. What other similarities did you notice and wonder about?