Kukeri banish the forces of evil in Varvara village near Pazardzhik on the first day of January. The Dervish, as the locals call them, start on their way from home to home at midnight. In the end they all come together in the centre of the village where they dance a spectacular Dervish horo dance.
More than 100 kukeri from all over Pazardzhik region got together in the village today to banish evil and open the way for a new beginning. It is one of the most popular festivals in Varvara and continues throughout the day. The tradition has been passed down from generation to generation for more than 300 years, BNR’s correspondent Nevena Petrova reports.
Ritual food is an integral part of the Bulgarian ritual system. In the calendar of a Bulgarian village more than a century ago, food with meat was rarely consumed. People usually ate meat 4-5 times a year - on Christmas, St. George’s..
At the end of the 19th century, the Czech artist and folklorist Ludvík Kuba travelled to Bulgaria with one goal in mind: to explore the country's rich song heritage. The melodies he collected were published in a separate volume of his Slavic Song..
In the Bulgarian folk tradition, the feasts of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday are related holidays. From Lazarus Saturday (Lazarovden in Bulgaria), girls prepare for the ritual kumichene, which is performed on the morning of Palm Sunday. A very old..
+359 2 9336 661