Kukeri and Surva in Pernik

At a glance

Source: Kukeri; ich.unesco.org: en: RLSurova folk feast in Pernik region - Intangible Heritage Home^1,2

Masks and meaning

Kukeri wear costumes that cover most of the body, decorated wooden masks, and large bells attached to their belts. Around New Year and before Lent, they walk and dance through villages. Their noise and appearance are intended to frighten away evil spirits. The tradition is also associated with hopes for a good harvest, health and happiness in the year ahead. After parading, groups often gather in the village square to dance.¹

A living tradition

Older scholars linked Kukeri to a pre-Christian Thracian cult of Dionysus. Modern scholarship generally rejects that explanation. Kukeri are now understood as part of a broader Balkan mumming tradition that emerged in the early modern period, with influences from Greek, Slavic, Albanian and Turkish practices. Rituals differ by region, but their central features remain similar. The name’s exact origin is uncertain, and several possible explanations have been proposed.¹

Surova in Pernik

The Surova folk feast takes place each year on 13 and 14 January, New Year according to the old calendar. Survakari groups of men, women and children wear prepared masks and costumes, gather around fires and visit homes. Participants may take roles such as newly-weds, a priest or a bear. The bear ritually mauls people for good health, while hosts offer a meal and gifts. Groups may give collected funds to orphans and people in need.²

The feast was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015. Pernik also hosts the International Festival of Masquerade Games “Surva”. In 2026, it ran from 16 to 25 January, with a competition programme for masquerade traditions including survakari and kukeri. Thousands of performers take part each year, alongside guests from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. Families pass on the craft by making masks and costumes together.^2,3