site.btaBreznik Hosts 20th Surova Masquerade Festival
Breznik hosted the 20th edition of the Surova Masquerade Festival on Saturday. The event is a long-awaited winter folk custom in the region. It is a combination of distinctive sounds, colours and emotion.
Every January, a parade combining scary masks, loud ringing of bells and colourful costumes passes through the central streets of the town. The scary masks are believed to keep evil forces at bay the rest of the year. Traditional blessings for health, prosperity, fertility, and family happiness are given.
The 20th edition of Surova brought together over 1,300 participants. The oldest participant in the masquerade event was a 87-year-old woman and the youngest, a three-year-old boy, Breznik Municipality said. The largest group had nearly 120 participants.
The parade ended on Breznik's central square, where a common fire was lit. A dance around the fire was performed with a message of health, renewal and purification. The celebration ended with a fireworks show.
Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev, who was among the official guests of the event, addressed the participants. "Although Surova is characterized by the scary look of the masks, the costumes, in fact there is something very beautiful in it - the palette of our history, of traditions, of what has preserved us as a people and a nation," he said.
/DS/
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