Typical Kukeri Startsi dancers with intricate embroidered costumes and large bells at the annual Simitlia winter festival in Simitli, Bulgaria, EU

---

'Simitlia – the ancient land of the Kukeri' annual winter festival in 2023. Kukeri dancers at the 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.

---

Size: 4269px × 5976px
Location: Simitli, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Balkans, EU
Photo credit: © Ognyan Yosifov / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2023, balkan, balkans, bells, bizarre, bulgaria, bulgarian, costumes, dancers, decorated, eastern, embodying, embroidered, europe, european, festival, festivals, indigenous, intricate, karlovo, kliment, kukeri, large, lifestyle, mummers, mumming, mysterious, mystical, occupation, occupations, participants, peninsula, practicing, region, ritual, simitli, simitlia, spectacle, startsi, surva, traditional, typical, urban, village