The otherworldly figures chasing evil spirits away

The beauty of Kukeri — In towns and villages across Bulgaria, the mystical Kukeri ritual sees demons and evil spirits scared away. Photographer Aron Klein travelled the country to capture the costumes and customs that have survived for hundreds of years.

Aron Klein first discovered the mystical Kukeri tradition while deep in the Rhodopes Mountains in the south of Bulgaria. As one Meadows in the Mountains’ photographers, Aron had long been fascinated by the folklore and fairytales that are deep routed in this corner of the country, but it was during a visit to a local museum that the idea for his latest project started to form.

“It was inside this museum that I saw pictures of and actual furs from these costumes,” explains Aron. “They were incredible, and then I was told that these rituals are ongoing, still happening every year.”

The word Kukeri comes from the Latin word ‘Cuculla’, meaning a hood, and in Bulgaria denotes a folklore ritual. “As soon as I started to learn more about the tradition I knew I wanted to shoot the people keeping it alive and kicking,”  continues Aron. “People in villages across the country dress up in elaborate suits of fur and ribbons, feathers and beads. They wear carved wooden masks with the faces of beasts and birds, as they dance and jump in arcane rituals intended to dispel the evil spirits.”

Little has changed in the hundreds of years that the practice has been carried out, having even survived the Communist regime’s uncompromising anti-religious position. “It’s thousands of years old,” Aron says. “There’s no documentation of where and when it started. It ran across the Baltic and the Alps, but Bulgarians have somehow held onto the tradition more than others.”

The rituals are practiced on different dates in different towns and villages, so Aron journeyed across the countryside, keen to capture the Kukeri ceremonies in as many guises as possible.

“It was fascinating to see diversity and difference in interpretation from region to region,” he tells me. “Some areas have costumes with really intricate beads, sequins and stitching, others are made purely from goat skins.” Some rituals take place under the cover of darkness, others on the cusp of dawn, as the costume-clad locals pass through the streets.

Each village has a distinct approach to what the spirits would be fearful of, although every costume Aron captured utilised cow bells for noise.

There’s also an annual celebration in the city of Pernick, to the west of the country, that Aron was invited to attend at the end of January. “Once a year all the regions come together to celebrate, and keep the traditions alive. Every village enters, there’s a parade, lots of drinking and dancing, there’s a merriment and sense of pride that permeates.”

While nobody knows when exactly that Kukeri traditions started, Aron’s journey from small farming villages to old industrial communist-era towns made it obvious to him that it’ll be continuing long into the future. “From people in their 70s to young children, people of all ages are involved.”

“One guy I met who lives in New York flies back each year to take part. It’s not dying out or fading away, it’s not going anywhere.”

Check out more of Aron’s work on his website, and follow him on Instagram.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Crowd of silhouetted people at a nighttime event with colourful lighting and a bright spotlight on stage.
Music

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Indoor skate park with ramps, riders, and abstract architectural elements in blue, white, and black tones.
Sport

In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme

Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Black-and-white image of two men in suits, with the text "EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER" in large bright yellow letters overlaying the image.
Culture

Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?

Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.

Written by: Emma Garland

A group of people, likely children, sitting around a table surrounded by various comic books, magazines, and plates of food.
© Michael Jang
Culture

How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography

The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment
Culture

The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.