The Best street festival in Bulgaria and the Balkans?

“Surva is not just a festival – Surva is a celebration. More than ten years since its inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Surva has proven itself as an example not only of shared traditions, but also of shared values. The core of the celebration is a popular masquerade ritual performed in villages throughout the region. On the first night, Survakari masquerade groups, consisting of men, women and children, don specially prepared masks and costumes and head towards the village centre where they light fires, and tease and play with the watching audience. Some participants adopt special roles, such as the leader, the newly-weds, the priest and the bear. Early the next morning, they gather and walk throughout the village visiting houses, where they ritually marry young couples while the bear ‘mauls’ people for good health. Hosts await their arrival with a ritual meal and gifts. The International Festival of Masquerade Games “Surva” in Pernik is the most prestigious event in Bulgaria and one of the leading festivals in Europe dedicated to traditional folk masquerade games and customs. It showcases forms of ancient rituals preserved over the centuries, which are an inseparable part of Bulgaria’s folklore heritage.