Text size

Surva holiday celebrated in Graovsko and all over Western Bulgaria

published on 1/14/24 6:30 AM

Photo: survakari.com

The Surva festival begins with the lighting of bonfires and mummers dancing the horo chain danie around the fires on the night of January 13-14.

The power and timelessness of the masquerade tradition has led UNESCO to declare it a World Heritage Site. The purpose of the ritual fires and dances is to bless the land and the people for a better life and to drive away evil spirits. Boys grow into men as they perform the Surva rites. The doors of every house are thrown wide open to welcome the Survakar parties.

This thousand-year-old tradition is the most awaited and zealously guarded in the region, handed down from father to son. Each year the masks and costumes are renewed. Younger children and women also take part in the masquerade.

In each procession there is a "leader", "the newlyweds", "the priest", "the bear with the bear-ward", according to the Ethnographic Museum in Pernik.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!

Radio Bulgaria Folklore festival masquerade mummers Surva UNESCO World Heritage Site

Gallery

More from category

The Folk Costume Festival in Bulgaria's Zheravna takes us back in time

From today until August 24, the 15th Folklore Costume Festival Zheravna 2025 is taking place in the Dobromeritsa area. Over 30 kaba bagpipers will kick off the event (8:00 p.m.), which every year gathers thousands of visitors dressed in..

published on 8/22/25 6:00 PM

Jantra Folklore Ensemble from Budapest to dance at BalkanFolk Festival in Palma de Mallorca

Bulgarian dance ensemble “Jantra” from Budapest will participate in the fourth edition of the International Folklore Festival “BalkanFolk”, which will be held in early October in Palma de Mallorca, BTA has reported. The initiative..

published on 8/19/25 12:49 PM

Three days, six stages and over 7,000 participants – Koprivshtitsa brings together the best amateurs from Bulgaria

The heart and rhythm of the Bulgarian spirit – with these words we can metaphorically define the National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore. Traditionally, since the distant 1965, the event has been organized once every five years on the first weekend of..

published on 8/6/25 12:14 PM