Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Five years ago the ancient pagan ritual Surova entered UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list

Photo: BGNES, archive

On this day in 2015, the Surova folk feast from the region of Pernik was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the UNESCO website writes.

Surova is a ritual banishing evil forces to cleanse humans for a new life. The core of the celebration is a popular masquerade ritual performed in villages throughout the region. It takes place in January when colourful survakari masquerade groups pass through the streets to the sound of bells and bagpipes to celebrate creative human energy and the faith that the new year will be more bountiful and healthy.  



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

Chrissy Brand

Chrissy Brand from Great Britain: I’ve been listening to Radio Bulgaria for decades

For Chrissy Brand, a freelance journalist and long-time radio enthusiast from the UK, the trip to Bulgaria didn't start with a call to a travel agency or a low-cost airline ticket. It began decades ago in a quiet room filled with the humming of an old..

published on 10/24/25 1:49 PM

New Bulgarian school opens doors in Spain – in the town of Fraga

Today, 24 October, a new Bulgarian school in Spain – in the town of Fraga in the autonomous community of Aragon -  is opening doors for the start of the school year. The new school is a branch of the Seven Apostles – the only Bulgarian school in the..

published on 10/24/25 10:15 AM

Modern times require public media to be present on many platforms

The Bulgarian National Radio hosted the annual Public Broadcasters International (PBI) Conference for the first time. Heads and representatives of public radio and television stations from 24 countries participated, including UK, France, Spain, the USA,..

published on 10/23/25 4:03 PM