The masquerade ritual comes from ancient times and has been preserved to this day as part of the Bulgarian folklore tradition.
Bulgarian mask games are mainly associated with the holidays from Christmas to Easter. In the different regions of Bulgaria, masked men play around the New Year - during the Dirty Days (from Christmas to New Year's Day), during Cheese Sunday and during Todor's Sunday (the last week before and the first of the Easter fasts).
The players around the New Year holidays in Western Bulgaria are most popular as survakars, the participants in the pre-spring games with masks in other regions of Bulgaria - as kukeri.
Winter and pre-spring bachelor games with masks are associated with the change of the old and new year, with the approaching awakening of nature. They bring wishes for a rich harvest, health and fertility for people and animals. Their symbolism is aimed at banishing evil forces and preparing for a new beginning. The play of the masked men is a mystical unity of rhythm, sound and colors. They move with a specific step, wear impressive masks and distinctive costumes and ring their villages with hundreds of bells mixed with names and blessings.
Masks in folk beliefs protect against the harmful influence of "unclean forces". The Bulgarian ritual mask is a source of rich information about the various ethnographic regions. The sound of the bells hung around the masked men's waists reinforces their protective effect. The masked group includes a variety of characters. Traditionally, all ritual roles are performed by men dressed in various masquerade costumes.
Masquerade in Bulgaria is a living tradition and it is changing. It adapts to itself new symbols and images, weakens the restrictions for participants by gender and age. From the Renaissance onwards, characters from non-folk culture entered the ranks of the masked. Significant political changes and social problems still today give birth to parodies of representatives of various social groups. The desire to participate in the masquerade group is confirmed as a sufficient condition for participation - alongside "veterans" over 70 years of age, children of preschool age can also be seen, women and girls who feel empathetic to the tradition are masquerading.
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