Traditional holiday Surva (Pernik region)

Ritual disguise is typical for the whole world, in Bulgaria these are the rituals of the mummers / survakars. In Pernik region, the tradition of Surova is preserved in a relatively authentic form. The ritual is performed on January 13 and 14 - New Year in the old style. There is evidence that until the middle of the twentieth century only unmarried men in the village were disguised, but after the modernization changes and the depopulation of the villages, all men gradually joined. During socialism - like most elements of traditional culture - Surova underwent changes related to its aestheticization and its inclusion in the children's student repertoire. Numerous children's groups are formed, and masks and costumes are simplified.
In order to promote the tradition of camouflage in the area, in 1966 in the town of Pernik was set the beginning of the International Festival of Masquerade Games "Surva", organized annually to this day. It has a serious international success, but is a stage performance of the authentic ritual.
Since 2015, the Raw tradition has been included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Despite some significant changes from the point of view of the ritual, the tradition of ritual disguise Surova is preserved without interruption in dozens of villages in Pernik, Breznishko, Radomir and Kovachevsko. Although the villages are heavily depopulated, in the days around Surova the locals return even from abroad to take part in the ritual. The costumes are various, mainly made of animal skins or textile fringes, the big vats (bells) are characteristic, which are wrapped around the waist. In some villages (eg Yardzhilovtsi) the masks reach up to 3 m and are worn on special stands. The masks are made by the participants themselves and are passed on and further developed in the genus. Other ritual images move to the group of masked survakars - newlyweds, a priest, a bear with a bear and others. The group is led by the so-called byulukbashi, who is usually dressed in ancient military clothes and carries a sword. It determines the rhythm of movement. Between 50 and 100 people participate in each group. Today, the rituals in Pernik are coordinated in a program so that everyone can visit. Tourists are insignificant and the splendor of the festival in Pernik seems to overshadow the authentic color tradition.