In more than twenty years of observation and documentation of carnival rituals on the Slovenian–Italian border in two areas, the researcher discovered parallel signification processes, that are based either on continuation, usually perceived as a tradition; or on change, which can be described as an innovation or necessary adaptation to the new situation that the ritual is now facing; or on minor differences (language, material used, etc.), visible only to homesteaders. The presentation focuses on performance practices that are part of the local and ethnic identification strategies used in both areas. The first is a rural area in southwest Slovenia, on the border with Croatia, and the other is a suburban area near the city of Trieste, half populated by a Slovenian minority. A comparison of the two areas thematizes the situation more clearly. On the one hand, it reconsiders Turner’s idea of “communitas,” or the ability for dialogue, that is usually a part of the negotiation about the trajectory of the ritual practice, about what tradition is and what role should somebody have in the ritual itself. On the other hand it demonstrates the carnivalesque and at the same time ambivalent character of subversive and normalizing strategies and practices. Several approaches, like the research either of mocking hierarchies, or of the sophistication of self-presentation (ie. issues of choreography), or of using “going close” and “sanction“ strategies, or the analysis of all texts used in the ritual practice—reveal a bricolage of activities and events not only between areas but also in the area itself, whereby carnival performers visit of every household and reestablish the local community and its hierarchy and identity at different levels, be it age, gender, local, regional, or ethnic.