More than 12,000 participants from all over Bulgaria and 22 groups from abroad will take part in the International Mummers Festival 'Surva' in Pernik this year.
Stands have already been set up along the entire route that the groups will follow during their parades. Free parking has been provided, and temporary traffic arrangements have been made for the convenience of drivers and the flow of passengers.
The XXXI International Festival of Masquerade Games "Surva" 2025 will run from 24 to 26 January,
The traditional children's parade "Survakaryada" will take place on Friday, 24 January. More than 1,300 children are expected to participate. They will begin their performance from the Pernik Municipality and finish their procession in front of the National Palace of Culture (NDK).
The International Festival of Masquerade Games "Surva" has been organised by the Municipality of Pernik since 1966. It is the oldest festival of masquerade games in Bulgaria.
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Mummers (Kukeri in Bulgarian) is a Bulgarian tradition of Thracian origins. In ancient times the old Thracians held the Mummers Play in honour of god Dionysus.
The Mummers plays are performed by men, dressed in colourful hand-made costumes and wearing scary masks. Each wears a leather belt around the waist with huge copper bells (chanove) attached to it.
The ‘Mummers’ masks are decorated with threads, ribbons, laces and usually represent animals like goats, bulls, rams, or even chicken. Some of the masks are double-faced. On one of the sides, the nose is snubbed and the face is good-humored, on the other side, the nose is hooked and the face is ominous. Those masks symbolize the good and the bad which co-exist in the world.
In different ethnographic regions of Bulgaria men put on masks around New Year, during the twelve days of Christmas (Christmas till Epiphany), on Sirni Zagovezni (Forgiveness Day), and on Todorova Nedelia (the Sunday before the start of the Easter Fast).
The symbolic meaning of the winter and pre-spring rituals is related to the end of the old year, the beginning of the new and to the awakening of nature for new life. These rituals represent the wish for a rich harvest, good health and fertility for humans and farm animals.
The dance of the masked men is a mystic unity of rhythm, sound, and colour. Moving in a special step, mummers walk around, jump and dance special magic dances to scare away the evil spirits, to celebrate the beginning of spring and hopes for a good harvest, health, land fertility, and happiness.
The sounds of the bells hanging from the belts of the dancers are believed to strengthen the protective properties of the masks.
In the different parts of Bulgaria mummers are called Kukeri, Survakari, Babugeri and Dzhamilari. This ancient custom became even more popular after 1985, when the festival gained international-event status.
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