On January 20th, the inhabitants of the village of Yoglav, Lovech province, will chase evil and call for the prosperity with the custom of the Camel. The beginning of the fun is 10 a.m. in front of the village hall, but do not be late because the event lasts only about 15 minutes. Then the masked band goes around the houses in the village to pray with merriment and jokes for a happy next year. The holiday is organized in the old holiday of Ivanovden and, according to local tradition, dates back to the foundation of the village more than 500 years ago.
Every year the custom is resurrected by a group of amateurs from the local Probuda 1926 Community Center. They arrive with a camel made of wood and dressed in rugs. The masked band is the Camel army that arrives from distant Arabia and plays a small playful theater in front of the Town Hall. The group includes the camel itself, doctor, priest, gypsy – fortune teller, grandparents, clerk, musicians, two people who carry the camel and storyteller.
After theyplay a few little sketches the masked group goes through the village to tour each house and bless her with its inhabitants. Local in return donate wine, bread, sausages, brandy, slippers and other different things. In recent years, the inhabitants of Yoglav donate to the joyful group also money.