2000 Mummers Gather for Kukeri Festival in South west Bulgaria



The small south western town of Simitli hosted Saturday a huge festival of "
kukeri"
, or mummers, a beloved Bulgarian folklore tradition with roots from Ancient Thrace.

The Kukeri ritual is performed between Christmas and Lent by costumed men with scary animal masks, who walk around and dance to scare away the evil spirits, as well as to provide a good harvest, health, fertility, and happiness. Similar rituals can also be found in Romania, Serbia, Italy and Spain.

Over 2000 kukeri from a total of 15 groups South western Bulgaria - from Blagoevgrad, Petrich, Kyustendil – as well as from Karlovo in central Bulgaria and from the town of Berovo in Macedonia – gathered in Simitli for the traditional dances.

They attracted some 10 000 spectators - more than the actual population of the town.

The youngest mummer was a one-year-old kid, and the oldest – an 85-year-old man.

In Southwestern Bulgaria the mummers, or kukeri, are also known as "
babugeri"
.

The kukeri tradition is performed all over Bulgaria;
one of the most famous performance is the Surva Festival in the city of Pernik, to the west of Sofia.


Mummers aged from 1 to 85 gathered in Simitli Saturday

Go Away Evil Spirits, the Kukeri Said



If you happen to be in Bulgaria in the first months of the year, you have the unique opportunity to enjoy one of the most popular spring traditions in the country - the Kukeri ritual.

The tradition

Kukeri is a traditional Bulgarian ritual of Thracian origins, but similar rituals can also be found in Romania, Serbia, Italy and Spain.

The ritual is performed between Christmas and Lent by costumed men, who walk around and dance to scare away the evil spirits, as well as to provide a good harvest, health, fertility, and happiness.



According to the tradition, the kukeri visit people’s houses at night so that “the sun would not catch them on the road.” After going around the village, the kukeri gather at the square to dance and amuse people.

The symbolic meaning of the winter and pre-spring rituals performed be single men is related to the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one and to the upcoming awakening of nature for new life.

Costumes

Their costumes cover most of the body and include decorated wooden masks of animals and large bells attached to the belt.

The mask, according to folklore beliefs, is a protection from the harmful influence of impure powers. It represents a head of a peculiar creature with a scary face. Different masks could have gaping jaws, horns, tails, or snapping beaks. The elaborate decoration made of feathers is supported on a wooden frame.



Some masks have two sides. One of the sides represents a good face, and the other – a scary face. Such masks are a symbol of good and evil, which exist together in the world.

The dance of the masked men is a mystic unity of rhythm, sound and color. They move in special rhythmic steps. They fill the air with the sounds of their bells and of whispered blessings for prosperity.

Surva Festival

Kukeri festivals are organized in all parts of the country, but the first and most popular festival in Bulgaria, and on the Balkans, is the Surva International Festival of Masquerade Games, which takes place in the Bulgarian city of Pernik. It was first organized in 1966 and in 1985, it received international-event status.

The two-day festival, which is held the last weekend of January, gathers about 5,000 people from 90 different masquerade groups from Bulgaria, Europe, Asia and Africa. It promotes variations of ancient Bulgarian customs that are still alive today and that are an important part of the Bulgarian folklore tradition.

Kukeri Museums

Even though the kukeri tradition was forbidden and announced as incompatible with the social morality during the Communist era in Bulgaria, the tradition successfully preserved itself.

At the end of 2007, the Museum of the Kukeri Mask and Costume opened doors in the Bulgarian town of Karlovo. It features masks and costumes from different regions in Bulgaria, live demonstrations of the ritual, kukeri games for groups of tourists and for cultural or social events.



Another Kukeri museum is envisioned to be open in the city of Simitli. It will feature more than 500 exhibits and will present different Bulgarian traditional rituals. The museum will be “on wheels” and will travel across the country. The organizers also envision participating in exhibitions and festivals in Europe.

Bulgaria's Largest Kukeri Festival to Gain UNESCO World Heritage Status

The 20th edition of Bulgaria's largest and most impressive "
Kukeri"
event – the Surva Festival – kicked off in the western city of Pernik on Friday.

Thousands of "
kukeri"
, or mummers, a beloved Bulgarian folklore tradition with roots from Ancient Thrace, have gathered in Pernik for the three-day event.

The Kukeri ritual is performed between Christmas and Lent by costumed men with scary animal masks, who walk around and dance to scare away the evil spirits, as well as to provide a good harvest, health, fertility, and happiness. Similar rituals can also be found in Romania, Serbia, Italy and Spain.

Almost 100 folklore groups are taking part in the carnival games of the 2011 edition of the Surva Festival, including international participants from as far away as Spain, Ukraine, and Pakistan.

Henry Van Der Kroon, President of the Federation of European Carnival Cities, Bulgarian President Parvanov who is a native of Pernik, and Deputy Minister in charge of tourism Ivo Marinov attended the opening of the Festival together with Pernik mayor Rositsa Yanakieva.

Tanya Bakalova, a representative of UNESCO, has announced that the kukeri tradition and the Surva Festival in Pernik will be included in UNESCO’s list of protected non-material cultural heritage once the respective procedure is completed.

When I was first told of this Ithought it was "
Cookery"
doh. But having seen Kukeri I can tell you it is fantastic but very noisy and goes on and on/ If you go enjoy the day.

We could all go in your new car


Mike

Wow mike your up early

Are you going to thr quiz 2moz?

Blyme the costumes look a bit scary even for the adults Is look very interesting and very colorful if anyone does g, perhaps a photo or two would be nice, if possible please. Enjoy

Thanks

Oddy

No quiz Tony off out for the day tomoz,anyway no point in me going if your there,you win all the time


Mike ::

Never been. Might give it a try u never know.

I think this one is from your neck of the woods Tony hope you like it

Thank you gimp the clip is spot on. Except it does not fully give an appreciation of the noise. But as can be seen the colour and the atmosphere is fantastic

Bernie we know someone that went but not sure if there was a camera and also he was going with the men from his village so he is probably Brahms and List as well These Bulgarians know how to play.

We go to a pig killing next week. Now we know that we have been accepted. I will close my eyes.

Novinite

The 20th edition of Bulgaria's largest and most impressive "
Kukeri"
event - the Surva Festival - kicked off in the western city of Pernik on Friday.

Thousands of "
kukeri"
, or mummers, a beloved Bulgarian folklore tradition with roots from Ancient Thrace, have gathered in Pernik for the three-day event. The Kukeri ritual is performed between Christmas and Lent by costumed men with scary animal masks, who walk around and dance to scare away the evil spirits, as well as to provide a good harvest, health, fertility, and happiness. Similar rituals can also be found in Romania, Serbia, Italy and Spain.

Almost 100 folklore groups are taking part in the carnival games of the 2011 edition of the Surva Festival, including international participants from as far away as Spain, Ukraine, and Pakistan. Henry Van Der Kroon, President of the Federation of European Carnival Cities, Bulgarian President Parvanov, who is a native of Pernik, and Deputy Minister in charge of tourism, Ivo Marinov, attended the opening of the Festival together with Pernik mayor, Rositsa Yanakieva.

Tanya Bakalova, a representative of UNESCO, has announced that the kukeri tradition and the Surva Festival in Pernik will be included in UNESCO's list of protected non-material cultural heritage once the respective procedure is completed.

Dances with Kukeri: Gallery

byThe Sofia Echo staff

Pernik in Bulgaria saw the 20th annual Surva festival of masquerade games - if you will, a festival of Kukeri (as they are known locally) or Mummers (the international English-language term) - from January 28 to 30 2011.

Participants numbered more than 6000, from a wide range of countries, including Macedonia, Ukraine and Italy.

In Bulgarian tradition, Kukeri - usually played by men - dance and produce cacophonous noise to ward off evil spirits.

Very interesting indead


Mike

mickhev wrote:

Very interesting indead


Mike

I hope to get over there nest time and will certainly be posting photos when I do - just too cold to travel for entertainments like this at the moment.