Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Followers of Peter Deunov's teaching from around the world gather at the Seven Rila Lakes

4
Photo: EPA/BGNES archive

Thousands of followers of the White Brotherhood from all over the world have gathered in the Seven Rila Lakes region in Bulgaria's Rila Mountain for their annual camp and to welcome their Solar New Year. 

Today, near the lake Babreka (The Kidney), they will perform their ritual dance called Paneurithmy. All participants in the ritual are dressed in white. 
"Sometimes the tourists are more than the followers. Many of them come and also camp in the mountains, because for them the festive paneurythmy dance is an attraction," Georgi Georgiev from the brotherhood told BTA. 

According to the tradition bequeathed by the Bulgarian spiritual teacher Petar Deunov aka Beinsa Deuno, his followers - the so-called White brotherhood, welcome the sunrise on the so-called Prayer Hill in Rila, from where they make their first morning prayers to the Sun. 

Deunov followers believe that the sunrise on August 19 has magical powers. According to them, a person who met the first rays of the Sun on that day high in the mountains is charged with energy and health for the next 12 months.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

Gallery

More from category

We mark World Pulmonary Hypertension Day

Tonight, the facade of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia will be illuminated in blue in solidarity with people suffering from pulmonary hypertension.  Burgas and Plovdiv will also join the global initiative, which aims to raise awareness of..

published on 5/5/25 6:50 AM
Atanas Zafirov

Deputy Premier Atanas Zafirov to lead a pilgrimage delegation to Mount Athos

A Bulgarian pilgrimage delegation will visit Mount Athos for the feast of the Zograf Monastery St. George the Great Martyr. During their visit to Mount Athos on May 5 and 6, the members of the Bulgarian delegation will meet with the spiritual..

published on 5/5/25 6:05 AM

The new week starts with warm weather

On Monday morning, there will be scattered high clouds, more significant over the central and eastern parts of Bulgaria. Rain showers are expected in some mountainous areas, the Upper Thracian Plain and the Pre-Balkans, and later in the northeastern..

published on 5/4/25 6:35 PM