A short 9-minute film of the highly authoritative publication The New Yorker is gaining extreme popularity these days... people from all over the world are amazed by the amazing spirit, traditions and customs of the Bulgarians... And of course there is a reason! Kukers are the guardians of traditions, of Bulgarianness, of goodness... Kukers are the embodiment of the Bulgarian spirit, of our striving for better and of our desire to cleanse ourselves from evil...
Here's The New Yourker's announcement of the documentary about the Cookers:
Kilian Lasabliere's short documentary Kukeri, about a Bulgarian tradition meant to ward off evil spirits, is full of breathtaking, otherworldly sights and sounds. Throughout the film, there is a determined focus on the concept of legacy. "If you don't believe in something," says one interviewee in a voiceover, "it can't exist." Traditions survive by being passed down from generation to generation, much like genes. This is true of Kukeri, a custom that dates back centuries, so far into the past that its origins are unclear.
When and where to see the Cookers?
- The "Surva" festival in Pernik - 27.01.2024 - A unique event that gathers Cookers from all over Bulgaria. The international festival of masquerade games "Surva" in Pernik is the most authoritative event in Bulgaria and Europe of traditional folk games and customs with masks. He popularized variants of an ancient ritual that have reached today, part of the Bulgarian folklore tradition.
- city of Bansko - 01.01.2024 - in the center of the small town nestled in the foothills of Pirin you can see an amazing show every year on January 1.
- the region of the city of Troyan - every year around Sirni Zagovezni
- "Kukerlandia" in Yambol - from March 14 to 17, 2024.
