Yakoruda- "Topene na belezi"
Yakoruda is a small town in Bulgaria in which the locals still worship the old traditions. The ritual "Topene na belezi" represents the cult of mother nature, spring and fertility and preserves some ancient believes and practices. We honour the tradition on May 5th and May 6th each year. It incorporates a lot of symbolism and magic. Recently, it has been extremely trendy among non- Bulgarians as well, as it attracts tourists from all around the world. In the video, I explain the main ideas of the custom, the differences between the celebration in the past and nowadays, the symbolic elements and some practices which are extremely vital for the successful realization of the ritual.