On several occasions during the year, special ritual called Kukeri, a nice folklore tradition with roots from Ancient Thrace, takes place in Bulgaria. This tradition dates back to the Medieval centuries and is connected to the Bulgarians hans – Asparuh and Tervel. Firstly, what is Kuker? Kuker is a divinity. The word Kuker comes from Latin word cuculla, which means hood or cowl. In Southwestern Bulgaria the mummers, or kukeri, are also known as “babugeri”.
And now about the ritual… Kukeri is a traditional Bulgarian ritual to chase away evil spirits, as well as to bring a good harvest, health, fertility, and happiness, so everything on the fields can grow well and the harvest is going to be rich. The ritual includes costumed men (wooden animal masks, big bells attached to the belt etc. ). The costumes are decorated with colorful threads, ribbons, laces and pieces of mirrors and usually represent animals like horses, bears, goats, bulls, chicken etc. Some of the masks have two faces. On one side an optimistic face with a snub nose, and on the other a pessimistic face with a hooked nose, symbolizing the existence of Good and Evil. Different masks could have jaws, horns, tails, or snapping beaks. Costumes should be as scarry as possible. The big role play the colours and signs: red represents fertility, sun is fire; black is the symbol of the Mother Earth, white is water and light. The Kukers usually wear furry coats. Each has a leather belt around the waist and bells hanging from it. Some men carry wooden swords, brooms, or other heavy instruments in their hands. A lot of masks have tiny mirrors on the forehead, which reflect evil entities. It’s said that when the Devil sees its reflection in the mirror, it frightens and runs away. To sum up, if we talk about the masks, each of the “Kukeri” is responsible for making his own mask, which is not so easy process. In the past men would gather together to make their masks.
In Bulgaria during this ritual a lot of psyhological acts are interpreted. The masked men jump, jingle with the bells, and make jokes. They lay down and move on the ground to gain power from it and become healthy. The bells fill the air with sounds and they are used as protection from bad magic. The ritual games end with a big circle dance in the centre of the village. The dance of the masked men has a mystic rhythm, sound and colour. Their motions are based on special rhythmic steps. During the dance they usually whisper blessings for fortune. The Kukeri tradition is performed all over Bulgaria, and one of the most famous performance is the Surva Festival in the city of Pernik, to the west of Sofia. It was first organized in 1966 and in 1985, it received international-event status. It’s a two-day festival, and it takes place the last weekend of January. There are about 5,000 people from 90 different masquerade groups from Bulgaria, Europe, Asia and Africa. It promotes variations of ancient Bulgarian habits that are still alive today and that are an important part of the Bulgarian folklore tradition. Similar rituals and traditions can be found in much of Balkans.
Some opinions about the “Kukeri” tradition:
“To my mind the “Kukeri” celebrations should not be forgotten, because they are a great way to preserve our traditions while having fun and learning something more about our origins.”
– Bobi, puppet theater
“The “Kukeri” masks should be scarier that the Devil to scare away the evil entities.”
– a woman from the museum
“I don’t really attend those kind of celebrations, because they have pagan origins and we are orthodox Christians. Any celebration like this stands against the Bible. ”
– Panayot Mitev, clarinet player
“The ringing of the bells on the Kukeri costumes are said to scare away the Devil and the evil spirits.”
– Dobromir Yordanov, bagpipe player
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