Bulgarians ward off evil spirits in ancient winter festival


People wearing masks made of feathers participate in a winter festival in the village of Kosharevo, Bulgaria January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

KOSHAREVO, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Revellers dressed in red, some wearing huge masks and belts strung with large copper bells, danced around a fire on the main square of a Bulgarian village on Sunday to drive away evil spirits and bring in good health and crops for the New Year.

The festival, held every January in the village of Kosharevo, is known as "Surva" and is a mixture of Christian and pagan rituals that can be traced back to Thracian times.

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