The famous Rose Festival
The famous Rose Festival
If you find yourself in central Bulgaria during May or June, you might catch a fresh scent wafting over the rose fields of Kazanlak. Since 1903, the local community in Kazanlak has organised the Rose Festival every year in the first week of June. This is because the rose harvesting season is at its peak, and that deserves a proper celebration! This weekend, Kazanlak welcomes tourists from all over the world, offering them an unforgettable and joyful stay full of experiences.
A tradition spanning over a century!
The Rose Festival in Kazanlak is the most famous festival in Bulgaria and boasts a tradition of over 110 years. It first took place in 1903, when the residents of Kazanlak organised a festival to celebrate the beauty and majesty of roses. In subsequent years, another town in the Valley of Roses, Karlovo, also known for its rose oil production, joined the celebrations. In the last decade, the traditional rose festival has become a festival of talent, art, and beauty with a diverse cultural programme for tourists, lasting longer than a month.These celebrations now have a national character, and ancient traditions are still observed to this day.
Carnival procession, music and dance
The celebrations begin with the start of the harvest with a morning ritual, when rose pickers dressed in national costumes gather in the rose fields, singing and dancing. The rose-picking ritual in the rose gardens takes place in the village of Enina, and the roses are picked very early, from four o'clock in the morning, so that there is dew on them, otherwise there is much less oil from them. According to locals, the most fun part of the festival begins in the afternoon, when the festivities move to the streets of the town and the festival parade takes place. The rose growers literally dress up in roses and, together with the other participants in the celebrations, take part in the carnival procession.
Everywhere around you there are interesting carnival costumes, fun music and smiling faces! There are performances by singing groups and bands, an art programme, exhibitions, wine tastings and gourmet shows. Kukeri roam among the people, masquerades chasing away evil spirits. The festive procession ends at Seuthopolis Square. Many folk performances and dances capture the ritual of rose picking. Later, visitors are invited to taste rose jam and rose brandy.
Queen of Roses Election
The several-day festival culminates in the election of the Queen Rose. Participants choose the most beautiful woman at the festival dressed in roses, and the Queen is traditionally crowned.
The atmosphere at this festival is truly incredible. Locals say that the whole town is watered with rose water from a helicopter to make it smell authentic. The celebration of roses in Bulgaria is not only of national character, these celebrations are sought after by tourists from all over the world. The Rose Festival is simply a beautiful experience, and everyone is sure to dream about roses that night, so they literally have a bed of roses at least once.