Masquerade rituals can be seen all over
Bulgaria to this day. In latter years the interest in masquerade
rituals in Bulgaria is undergoing a boom. Perhaps the inspiration has
come from the largest festival of this kind held in the town of Pernik
near the capital city. This “Surva” Festival gathers masquerade groups
from all over Bulgaria marching, dancing and singing in the streets
for days on end. Formations from different countries round the world
join the Pernik event, showing through their performances various
carnival traditions. The festival takes place every other year in
mid-January. After the impressive parade of Masks last winter, Pernik
seems calmer. Yet it is already preparing for the next edition in
2009. On the other hand the very strong masquerade tradition of South
western Bulgaria rises in full glamour in the villages of the region
on January 13 and 14.
Each place in the country
has its characteristic masques. In South west Bulgaria masque rituals
are called “Surva”; the masque dancers – “Survakari”, “Mechkari”
meaning bear keepers or “Startsi” meaning old men. Even though named
differently and looking different, what they have in common is that
the masques resemble fierce or fantastic animals. The ancient
significance of the ritual was to chase the evil spirits of the
outgoing year away by scaring them off and to awake life-bringing
forces for the new farm season. In some of the villages people make
the masques out of fur and horns of domestic and wild animals. In
others they make them out of feathers from different kinds of birds.
Local men used to make their own costumes and masques. They follow an
ancient tradition and yet put all their imagination and creativity in
the making of the apparel. Nowadays the masques have become larger and
weigh about 10-20 kilograms, so they have to be fixed on the
shoulders. About as much weigh the traditional strings of metal cattle
bells tied on a belt at the waist. Their deafening sound adds up to
the scaring-off-of-evil-and-awakening-of-goodness effect of the
ritual. The costume usually made of goatskins is also quite heavy. But
that is not all. The dressed-up men hop around in rhythm and tour all
houses of the village. They enter the yards and there perform the
special ritual.
The fashion of local masquerade festivals has been spreading
in latter years. The small town of Radomir, also in Southwest Bulgaria
organized this year for the first time its masque festival. The Pirin
Mountain town of Razlog, which stands very close to the modern Bansko
winter resort, also has its own festival. This year, too, Razlog
gathered on January 13 masquerade groups from neighbouring villages
and neighbouring countries as well. Local costumes differ from the
rest with their very longhaired goat furs. The dance of the men
resembles the movement of a bird whose arms are spread out in flight.
But here, too, the performance is accompanied by the rich sound of the
numerous copper bells tied around the dancer’s waist.
The wave of January masquerades in the South western region of
Bulgaria will continue in February with similar festivities in Eastern
Bulgaria. Throughout Thrace and at the foot of the Balkan Range, along
the Danube River and down at the Black Sea coast people put on their
masques at Shrovetide, or “Zagovezni” in Bulgarian, which is just
before the Easter Lent. They ritually see off winter and welcome
spring. The diversity of masques is still greater this time. But they
are closer to the traits of a human face, even though still rather
scary. Masques in those parts are mostly made of textile decorated
with beads, braids, tassels, ribbons and sequins. Some rise in the
form of sharp hoods, others just cover the face. In Eastern regions
the ritual is related to agriculture as a livelihood. That is why the
masqued dancers perform the ritual of ploughing and sowing. The spring
festival in the Thracian town of Rakovski has gained popularity in
latter years. Together with Pernik and Razlog to the West it has taken
its due place in the Federation of European Carnival towns and the
international exchange of groups with masquerade rituals.
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PEACE HAVENS of BULGARIA
