Surova folk feast is celebrated every year on 13 and 14 of January in Pernik region to celebrate the New Year according to the old Julian calendar. The celebration centers on a popular masquerade ritual that takes place in villages throughout the region.
The holiday in Central Western Bulgaria is a favorite among the traditional masquerades. Each year, Pernik welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors eager to take part in the festival and experience the glee and unsurpassed beauty of the masquerade.
The International festival of masquerade games was founded in 1966 in Pernik and is based on the living tradition of masquerade games, which does not exist anywhere else in Europe. A popular masquerade ritual is the main feature of the celebration throughout the region. The feast marks the transition between the old and new years.
In the early 20th century, only young, unmarried men from the local community were wearing masks. This was a custom with initiation functions, which later connected with future marriage.
Surva groups consist of 50 to 100 people, so the masked men at the Surova folk feast in Pernik will number several thousand. On the first night, Survakari masquerade groups, including men, women, and children, don specially prepared masks and costumes and parade toward the village center. They light fires and prank and tease spectators.
As part of the ritual, participants take on specific roles, including the leader, newlyweds, priest, and bear. In the morning, they wander throughout the village, visiting houses where they ritually marry young couples while the bear allegedly mauls them for good health.
A ritual meal and gifts are given upon the hosts' arrival, and after the folk feast, the Survakaris decide how to distribute the funds and gifts, knowing well the problems of their village. Typically, they support the local community and their cultural house (chitalishte).
During that entire year, the whole family collects materials for the masks and the other attributes and the adults teach kids and youth how to make the unique masks and costumes. Taking part in a masquerade increases the self-esteem of young people as continuers of the tradition.
Every year, more than a hundred groups from Bulgaria and all over the world participate, plus over 5000 masked participants. Today men of all ages, as well as women and children, participate in the practice. In some villages, there are numerous groups of children, with characters like those in the adult groups.
Surova, a holiday in Central Western Bulgaria, is a favorite among the traditional masquerades. According to the old Julian church calendar, this is performed on the 13th and 14th of January - the folk New Year.
Each year, Pernik welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors eager to take part in the festival and experience the glee and unsurpassed beauty of the masquerade.
An International festival of masquerade games was founded in 1966 in Pernik, based on the living tradition of masquerade games, which does not exist anywhere else in Europe.
The tradition of masking in Bulgarian lands goes back to ancient times and remains current today. A popular masquerade ritual is the main feature of the celebration throughout the region. The feast marks the transition between the old and new years.
In the early 20th century, only young, unmarried men from the local community were wearing the masks. This was a custom with initiation functions, which later connected with future marriage.
Surva groups typically consist of 50 to 100 people, so the masked men at the Surova folk feast in Pernik will number several thousand. On the first night, Survakari masquerade groups, including men, women, and children, don specially prepared masks and costumes and parade toward the village center. They light fires and prank and tease the spectators.
As part of the ritual, participants take on specific roles, including the leader, newlyweds, priest, and bear. In the morning, they wander throughout the village, visiting houses where they ritually marry young couples while the bear allegedly mauls them for good health.
A ritual meal and gifts are given upon the hosts' arrival, and after the folk feast, the Survakaris decide how to distribute the funds and gifts, knowing well the problems of their village. Typically they support the local community and their cultural house (chitalishte).
During that entire year, the whole family collects materials for the masks and the other attributes and the adults teach kids and youth how to make the unique masks and costumes. Taking part in a masquerade increases the self-esteem of young people as continuers of the tradition.
Unlike their predecessors' thousands of years ago, every survakari participates willingly, according to tradition. Every year, more than a hundred groups from Bulgaria and all over the world participate, plus over 5000 masked participants. Today men of all ages, as well as women and children, participate in the practice. In some villages, there are numerous groups of children, with characters like those in the adult groups.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/surova-folk-feast-in-pernik-region-00968) (https://survakari.com/en/the-custom/) |Subject=Belief, Entertainment and Recreation, Ritual |Country=Bulgaria |Region=Pernik |SDG=(03) Good Health and Well-being, (05) Gender Equality, (08) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities }}