Bare-chested Kukeri dancers from Turiya Village, Central Bulgaria at the annual Simitlia winter festival in Simitli, Bulgaria, Balkans, EU


Barechested Kukeri dancers from Turiya Village, Central Bulgaria 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.


Size: 3194px × 4785px
Location: Simitli, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, Eastern Europe, Balkans, EU
Photo credit: © Ognyan Trifonov / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2023, ancient, animals, balkan, balkans, bare, bare-chested, barechested, bells, bulgaria, bulgarian, central, chested, dancers, decorated, demon, eastern, eu, europe, european, festival, festivals, hunters, indigenous, kukeri, large, lifestyle, mummers, mysterious, occupation, occupations, participants, peninsula, people, popular, public, resembling, ritual, rituals, shirtless, show, simitli, simitlia, tradition, traditional, turiya, urban, village