For another year, the legend of the love between the Thracian master of the harp Orpheus and his beloved Eurydice will be remembered near Trigrad. The myth will come to life as a part of the Orpheus Mystery Festival, which will be held on July 29th. According to the legend, the greatest musician and enchanted singer fall in love with the nymph Eurydice. The two get married, but soon after the wedding the beloved maiden was bitten by a poisonous snake and died.

Orpheus’s grief was enormous, and to his sadness all the nature was impressed. The singer decides to seek his beloved in the kingdom of the dead. The traditions in the region claim that the musician’s journey to the sacred River Sticks was through the Devil’s Throat cave near Trigrad. The god of the underworld Hades was enchanted by Orpheus’s magic harp and his love and decided to bring the couple back to the world of the living.

But he has set a condition – the musician had not to look at his beloved until they come out of the realm of the dead. The worry that Eurydice might not follow in Orpheus was so big that he turned back, and the nymph had to return to the world of the dead again. It is this legend that recreates with a fiery spectacle during the mysteries every year in the Devil’s Throat Cave.

However, the pagan celebrations begin much earlier that day than the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. At noon in the center of Trigrad, there are shown traditional customs and rituals. At sunset is recreated the custom of Harvesting a live fire burning with magical herbs. Then the procession of people is carried in front of the Devil’s Throat Cave. There are masquerade games, fire-dancers, and recreations of the legend of Orpheus’s love.

The festival is accompanied by a rich folklore program. The cave itself, besides legends, also hides real secrets, as no one has ever been able to understand where the waters of the underground river are being lost. After the siphon, the water is lost, and dozens of experiments and trial attempts have failed to prove where it goes. The cave itself is so large that it can accommodate the Alexander Nevsky monument temple in Sofia. Unlike years ago, Devil’s Throat is a socialized and safe place to look at, so be sure to immerse yourself in the world of legends and darkness in it.