Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

National Geographic makes documentary about Kukeri masked dancers

Bansko footage to promote Bulgaria in new episode of Europe from Above

Photo: pirinsko.com

Unique photos of masked Kukeri dancers are circulating on the internet, showing the making of a National Geographic documentary filmed in the Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko. For the second week in a row, the channel's film crew is in the Bansko area. They are shooting a film about the traditions of the mountain town, which will be broadcast as part of the Europe from Above  series. The first stage of the filming took place on January 1, during the Kukeri festival, according to the Pirinsko.com website. 
Early in the morning of January 6, on the eve of Yordanovden, Kukeri dancers from all the districts of Bansko took the cable car up the mountain and "conquered the Pirin", the website reported, posting photos of the event on social networks. Perperikon
The photos were taken by photographers Alexander Tsiguriyn and Boris Kolchagov. "The Bansko Kukeri conquered the mountain and it was as if the universe unfolded to show the beauty of nature, traditions and people," the online post said.Aerial view of the Paneurhythmy dance (the white circles on the right) at the Rila lakes
Last year, Bulgaria was featured in the fourth season of Europe from Above, which shows stunning aerial views of the Old Continent. Viewers of one of the world's most watched popular science TV channels saw fantastic footage of the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon, the Sound and Light Show in Veliko Tarnovo, the mystical Paneurhythmy dance at the Seven Rila Lakes and other breathtaking aerial shots of Bulgaria. 
National Geographic has presented the Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri on other occasions. In January 2021, photographs of the masked dancers taken by Bulgarian photographer Ivo Danchev were published in the magazine in an article entitled Between Two Worlds, about masquerade rituals in Bulgaria.  Last year, Ivo explored the Kukeri's connection to animal husbandry. It's a very old and strong one! And recently he presented his latest project on the Kukeri.

Text: Veneta Nikolova
Photos by Alexander Tsiguriyn, Boris Kolchagov, Vladislav Terziiski, Ivo Danchev
Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

How much of the Bulgarian cultural heritage in Ukraine has been preserved remains unclear

The usurpation of cultural heritage is one of the many inevitable consequences of any military conflict, both historically and today. Until the end of the war in Ukraine, it is impossible to adequately analyse the extent of the damage caused to the..

published on 11/15/24 12:00 PM

Balkan developments

Athens plans to modernise the Greek army by 2030 Greece's Defence Minister Nikos Dendias presented the plan for changes in the army to the parties in parliament. The reforms will cover all three branches of the military. By 2030, 33 units..

published on 11/15/24 10:15 AM
The forum at the National Museum of Archeology

The Untold Stories of Bulgarians programme gathers the legacy of our compatriots as ancestral memory

A short video kaleidoscope of the "untold stories" of worthy Bulgarians - scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, artists - who have contributed to our country's good image in the eyes of the world opened an unconventional public forum that showcased the..

published on 11/14/24 12:48 PM