the village of Sirishtnik, Kovachevtsi municipality

the village of Sirishtnik, Kovachevtsi municipality

On 13 January, the young unmarried men dress up in carnival costumes. On their heads they wear various masks (representing animal or bird heads, made of feathers and fur), called “litsi” (faces). On their waists, the young men put big bells. The group obligatory involves figures of a “bride”, a “bridegroom’s brother”, a “priest”, “devils” and “bear/cat with a bear keeper”. All the night, the entire group walks around the village and visit the houses. On 14 January they all gather in the church yard or in the village square around 2 pm. Then, there follow dances in a circle, fights among the survakari-bears and the village inhabitants, and around 4 pm the games are over.

Surva

the village of Sirishtnik

The inquiry form has been filled in by Maria Yordanova Yordanova, constructor/pensioner.