Ancient festival in Bulgaria: Yambol Mask

The Yambol Mask (Kukerlandia) Festival, where the ancient tradition of the ritual to banish evil spirits is reenacted, was held in the city of Yambol, Bulgaria.

Organized by the Yambol Municipality, the festival took place in the city park. Due to the national mourning declared in the country following the death of Neofit, Patriarch and Archbishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, yesterday's festival events were canceled.

On the final day of the event, groups consisting of people wearing furry costumes and masks representing Thracian warriors competed with each other to deliver the best performance in the square.

The teams, which reenact the Thracian tradition of trying to drive away evil spirits left over from winter as spring approaches, aimed to draw more attention by adding sound to their colorful performances with the bells they wore around their waists.

Concerts, exhibitions, and photography competitions were also held as part of the festival, which attracted interest from visitors from Turkey, such as Edirne, Kırklareli, and Tekirdağ, as well as from neighboring countries like Macedonia, Romania, and Greece.