Surva Mummers

In Bulgaria, there is a festival organized in January that you should try once is Surva Mummers. It is the oldest festival in Bulgaria and among the Bulgarian culture, customs, and etiquette. The mummers’ tradition derives from the ancient pagan past of the Bulgarians. The idea of the Mummer dance is to drive evil away and bring happiness and prosperity to the people in the village. There are many different Mummers in Bulgaria; they even have different names in the different regions – kukeri, dervishi, startsi, etc.

Their costumes and masks are different, but all mummers are united by chasing the evil spirits away with the help of fearsome masks, and the loud sound of “dancing” bells. Mummers have a string of bells, which is hung on the belt, and when the mummer jumps and dances, the sound is so loud and can be heard in the neighboring village. Mummers are usually dressed in thick coats and traditional costumes are made of sheep or goat skins. Note that this custom is a part of the winter folklore calendar; no wonder thick coats are a must. Local tradition is influenced by fashion and you can see different costumes, with a colorful foreign touch.