Kukeri - A traditional Bulgarian ritual

Kukeri is a traditional Bulgarian ritual to scare away evil spirits, and a costumed man performing the ritual. The costume cover most of the body and include decorated wooden masks of animals (sometimes double-faced) and bells on the belt. Around New Year and before Lent, the kukeri walk and dance through the village to scare evil spirits with the costumes and the sound of the bells.
You can visit The international festival of masquerade games in the city of Pernik, Bulgaria in every 2 years.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• kukeri
• bulgaria
• tradition
• ritual
• pernik
• surva
• festival
• masquerade
• international

[dragaat]

This is a folklore melody from Rhodopa mountain and it is played by the orchestra of Apostol Kisyow - "100 kaba gaidi" (i'll try to translate it as "100 bagpipes", though it is "kaba" bagpipe, a typical bulgarian instrument).

[bgpobeda]

Ancient bulgarian ritual SURVA is part of New year celabrations KOLEDA , SURVA , KUKERI and NESTINARI comes from deep history Here on the Balkans and Anatolia. We the most Big ethnitical population in this area and keep traditions more from 200 000years by to day.

"Internet will kill the devil"

Bulgar - Bulgar!

[bohich]

ВЕЛИКО!  Човек просто няма думи...

[gramophone7]

AMAIZING SONG

[DrH4nF]

@Y2Jericho161

It is so funny, i was there this weekend and was thinking to myself "Well, in good ol' Germany, I wouldn't go to such a thing. Only stupid drunk village people go to this folklore-stuff. Now I am in Bulgaria and I cant get enough of it" - isn't it funny?

[Y2Jericho161]

@ojideagu OMG, Ilive in Pernik Bulgaria and it's so damn stuid. Only drunks from the villiges dress up in fur and dance around like idiots. Много тъп ритуал!

[ojideagu]

Reminds me of African Mascarades like in Nigeria. They are also about dressing up as Spirits and being chased by spirits. Some of the masks look very similar

[ludite12]

@picanu greetings friend!

[NatliHong]

Фестивала е уникален, всяка година като започва и ми се ще да не свършва! Днес го закриха а вече нямам търпение за следващта година!!!!!!!

[picanu]

Kokë means HEAD in Albanian which is by far the closest relative of what language spoken Thracians long before the slavs came in, then shortly after the Bulgars.

So this Kukeri tradition is so old as those ancient times and it means something like THE BIG HEADS.

You'll meet this tradition all over the Balkans and far up north till Bohemia. It is carried on the last day of the pagan year by ancient calendar - winter solstice.

The old year is dead, a new year is born!