International Kukeri Festival Enchants Bulgaria

Society | January 28, 2006, Saturday // 00:00
International Kukeri Festival Enchants Bulgaria A boy shows off his mask during the Kukeri fest in Pernik on Saturday. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia News Agency)

About 5,000 men practicing the ancient Kukeri tradition gathered in the western city of Pernik to dance the winter away in the end of one of the coldest weeks in Bulgaria this season.

Seven foreign groups partook in the annual fest presenting the craft of the old Thracian tradition of dancing in the last days of Christmas just before nature returns to life.

Northern Ireland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia and Macedonia sent their own teams to measure up with the Bulgarians.

The "Kukeri" is a important masked ritual, carried forward from the Thracians. The participants in this ritual are male only, dressed in sheepskin garments and wearing scary masks and chanove (copper bells) on their belts, dancing and singing Christmas songs and chants, with the intention to scare away the evil spirits or ghosts which people believed came back to the living ones in winter.

The Kukeri clothing is specially prepared for the feast. That is why every year it is different and more beautiful.

The Kukeri hoods and masks are magnificent, ornate and variegated works of applied art. This custom mixes theatre, lyric, music, dance and art. It began centuries ago and is connected with the farm and the family.

The ritual is a mixture between Christian and pagan traditions and symbols. There is a strong correlation between the event and the peasant life. It is a unique folklore, which can only be seen in Bulgaria.

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