The koukeri honor tradition
Koukeri rituals originated more than twenty-five hundred years ago from Thracian belief in pagan deities and devils. During the New Year and at the passage of winter to spring, the koukeri gathered to drive evil from the village. It was believed that, in their demonic garb, they could ward off malevolent forces, ensuring good harvests and health for the coming season. Today, Bulgarians are predominantly followers of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
What are the Koukeri games?
Masked young men who perform the traditional Koukeri games in the region of West Bulgaria during Shrovetlde. The ritual is an agricult ural cult. The Koukeri are dressed in furs, with sheep bells hanging. They wear high fur caps with colourful ornaments and masks. Every region, and often every village has its own masks. Zoomorphic masks prevail.
The Mummers tradition (Koukeri) marks the beginning of the spring calendar. Preparations for it take a longer time. Everybody makes himself his own mask competing to show greater personal skill and craftsmanship. Therefore, no two ritual masks are alike. The koukeri's masks and garments are colourful, covered with beads, ribbons, and woollen tassels. They are sometimes made of hides. The ritual has the characteristics of a theatrical performance, of a carnival. An important element of its is the symbolic ploughing and sowing - a token of a rich harvest. The heavy swaying movements of the leading mummer is meant to represent wheat heavy with grain, while the bells tied around the mummers' waists are intended to drive away evil forces and sickness.
History has threatened these traditions more than once. The Ottoman Empire's five hundred-year occupation of Bulgaria was marked by widespread destruction of books and records, leaving the country with no systematic account of the koukeri until the mid-nineteenth century. Communism emerged soon after, granting the state power to monitor and approve all expressions of Bulgarian culture. Many traditional practices were wiped out. Fortunately, people in the mountain regions maintained greater autonomy than their urban counterparts did. Mountain villages such as Shiroka Luka, a hamlet of 840 people near the Greek border, had little contact with outsiders.