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Followers of Peter Deunov's teaching from around the world gather at the Seven Rila Lakes

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Photo: EPA/BGNES archive

Thousands of followers of the White Brotherhood from all over the world have gathered in the Seven Rila Lakes region in Bulgaria's Rila Mountain for their annual camp and to welcome their Solar New Year. 

Today, near the lake Babreka (The Kidney), they will perform their ritual dance called Paneurithmy. All participants in the ritual are dressed in white. 
"Sometimes the tourists are more than the followers. Many of them come and also camp in the mountains, because for them the festive paneurythmy dance is an attraction," Georgi Georgiev from the brotherhood told BTA. 

According to the tradition bequeathed by the Bulgarian spiritual teacher Petar Deunov aka Beinsa Deuno, his followers - the so-called White brotherhood, welcome the sunrise on the so-called Prayer Hill in Rila, from where they make their first morning prayers to the Sun. 

Deunov followers believe that the sunrise on August 19 has magical powers. According to them, a person who met the first rays of the Sun on that day high in the mountains is charged with energy and health for the next 12 months.


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