Mummer from Central Bulgaria wearing weird mask at the Simitlia festival in Simitli, Blagoevgrad County, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Balkans

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Kukeri dancers with intricate costumes, bells and masks at the annual Simitlia winter festival in Simitli, Blagoevgrad County. Kukeri is a centuries-old tradition intended to chase evil spirits away and to invite good, held around early winter or midwinter. The participants wear bells, embroidered costumes, and fantastical masks to participate in the winter ritual.

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Size: 2437px × 3656px
Location: Simitli, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Balkans, EU
Photo credit: © bincidaphoto / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: balkan, balkans, bizarre, bulgaria, bulgarian, eastern, eu, europe, european, festival, festivals, lifestyle, mask, masks, mummers, mumming, mysterious, occupations, odd, participants, peculiar, peninsula, people, simitli, simitlia, strange, symbolic, tradition, traditional, unusual, weird