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For three days, the mining town of Pernik lived and breathed kukeri. The 29th International Festival of Masquerade Games Surva 2023 officially closed there yesterday, with a record number of participants from Bulgaria and abroad, Pernik municipality say. The festival featured masquerade groups coming from Greece, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Slovenia, Albania, north Macedonia, Montenegro and Croatia.
More than 10,000 survakari, kukeri, babugeri, jamali, people from all kinds of masquerade groups took part in the procession in Pernik’s central square Krakra Pernishki, making Surva the biggest masquerade festival in Europe, the organizers from Pernik municipality say.
The big winners at the 29th edition of the festival are: The survakari group from Batanovtsi village and the kukeri group from Umenie-2003 chitalishte (community culture club) in the town of Yambol. The gold medal for children’s group went to the children from Kosharevo village, Pernik district. The cup of the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) was awarded to the survakari group from Yardjilovtsi village in Pernik district.
Next year will see Surva’s 30th edition in Pernik, and for the second time the mining town will play host to the convention of the Federation of European Carnival Cities. The first time Pernik hosted such a forum was almost two decades ago, in 2004, said FECC President Lars Algell, who was an honorary guest at the masquerade festival in Pernik.
Some facts about the past and present of Surva:
It has been organized since 1966, and has held an international status since 1985. In 1995, Pernik became a member of the Federation of European Carnival Cities. On 26 June, 2009, Pernik was declared European capital of survakari and kukeri traditions. And in 2014, the town and the Surva festival were among National Geographic’s pick for best winter trips. Since 2008, the international masquerade festival has been an annual event, taking place over the last weekend of January.
Text and photos: Gergana Mancheva
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