ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Kukeri festival in Shiroka Luka to banish evil and bring health and prosperity

Photo: Smolyan Municipality

The Kukeri Festival in Shiroka Laka, traditionally held on the first Sunday of March, marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Accompanied by the sound of bells and cowbells, a ritual is performed to ward off evil.

On this day local masked dancers, kukeri - called pessyatsi - visit people's homes to bring good health and prosperity. They then go to the village square where they perform a wedding ritual for the bride and the elder, re-enacting birth, ploughing and sowing. It is believed that if a pessyak jumps over you, you will have a good year.


On the eve of the holiday, concerts and performances by amateur artists are organised - an exhibition of children's drawings of Kukeri, as well as plays and poetry recitals on the occasion of the National Day on 3 March. There will be a concert by students from the National School of Folk Arts in Shiroka Laka.

The Kukeri Festival is organised by the Municipality of Smolyan, the Town Hall of Shiroka Laka and the People's Community Centre "Exarch Stefan - 1872".

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.
Radio Bulgaria Life    festival kuker pessyatsi shiroka laka

More from category

Photo: Bulgarian-American Cultural Association

Bulgarians in Atlanta celebrate Easter with painted eggs, music and dancing

The Bulgarian-American Cultural Association “Rosa” in Atlanta invited our compatriots to celebrate Easter today from 1:00 p.m. local time at Pinkneyville Park, Medlock Pavilion (the large pavilion) 4758 S Old Peachtree Rd Norcross, GA 30071...

published on 4/20/25 11:02 AM

Artist Vanya Petkova from Kardzhali paints icons on ostrich eggs

Artist Vanya Petkova from Kardzhali paints non-traditional icons, depicting saints on ostrich eggs . She started about 15 years ago with images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. The first egg she painted is still intact and is kept by her relative...

published on 4/20/25 10:53 AM

The spiritual messages of the Resurrection through the eyes of a Bulgarian theologian

This year, Orthodox and Catholic Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ togethe r. On the same date, the entire Christian world will turn its gaze to the empty tomb and will try, to the best of its ability, to empathize with the amazement..

published on 4/19/25 11:15 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 25
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 17
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 18
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 26
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 23
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 7 | Max: 25
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 5 | Max: 23
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 3 | Max: 21
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 7 | Max: 22
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 24
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 6 | Max: 24
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 24
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 5 | Max: 25
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 21
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 8 | Max: 25
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 5 | Max: 24
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 5 | Max: 25
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 8 | Max: 26
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 7 | Max: 25
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 6 | Max: 22
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 3 | Max: 18
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 4 | Max: 22
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 4 | Max: 23
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 4 | Max: 23
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 5 | Max: 24
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 4 | Max: 24
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 3 | Max: 21
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

From a cabinet minister to a homeless man – what labour means to Bulgarians

International Labor Day on May 1 in the mass consciousness of Bulgarians is often associated with the period of socialism and the grandiose demonstrations..

published on 5/1/25 9:35 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"