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Mummers chase the evil from Shiroka laka

Traditionally, on the first Sunday of March, mummers chase the evil spirits away and welcome the coming of spring and the waking up of the earth for a new life in Shiroka Laka. This year, the Festival coincides with the national holiday March 3. The official feast begins at 10 am with flowers and wreaths in front of the monuments of the Bulgarian heroes.

mummers Shiroka laka

At 11 am, the Peppondelnik festival will be opened and the 7 participating groups will be presented. At 12 o’clock the folklore concert starts with the Kalofer Orchestra. At 2 pm an exhibition with children’s drawings and mummers masks will be opened. And at 6 pm, the solemn concert of pupils from the school of folklore will begin.

mummers Shiroka laka

The local mummers represent a group of masked and costumed youths. The company is led by an elder and in it necessarily has been recreated the images of the bride. All remaining masks are made of whole sheepskin, turned with the wave out. They swarm on the face and have two holes cut out for the eyes and one for the mouth. To highlight the eyes and mouth, around the holes there are our rings of red cloth. Ir. Some of the masks are decorated with horns.

mummers Shiroka laka

The costumes are with big hoods, strapped by pillows, straw or rags under the skins. The masked are armed with swords, and on their belts, they carry hung bells, the sound of which they chase the evil. The mummers walk from house to house to chase the evil spirits away and to bring health and prosperity. According to the belief, if you let a mummer jump over you, then you will go all year round. After walking around the houses, the mummers head for the village square, where they present a wedding ceremony of the bride and the elder and the rituals of birth and sowing.

mummers razlog
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I love to travel because of the encounters with diverse people and cultures and the chance to touch other worlds. And this can happen even without leaving the borders of your own country. For example, at a festival, you can travel thousands of years and dozens of borders without leaving your place. For me, the journey is not only beautiful landscapes and ancient landmarks but also thousands of human stories. Let's learn them together.