#21: Kukeri Festival – Bulgaria
Kukeri is Bulgaria’s wild winter ritual, tracing back over 4,000 years to Thracian pagan traditions. Celebrated between New Year and Lent, it’s meant to banish evil spirits and welcome health, fertility, and prosperity. The biggest spectacle is Pernik’s International Masquerade Games “Surva” (January 16–25, 2026), but towns like Simitli and Yambol host their own festivities. Dancers, traditionally men, don massive animal-skin costumes, wooden masks, and cowbells that can weigh up to 100 kg.
