Most Beautiful Rose Festival in the World - Kazanlak, Bulgaria

I decided to share some pictures of an annual event held every June in my hometown called Rose Festival in Kazanlak. Kazanlak is located in the so called Rose Valley - a place where 80% of the world's oil-bearing rose is produced. The oil-bearing rose is called Rosa Damascena and is used in the perfume industry as well as medicine or even to make jam :)

Without further ado, here is what the event looks like:

A girl from the rose picking ritual in a nearby village, dressed in traditional Bulgarian dress

Children playing with rose petals, the petals are placed in a metal barel which is heated, the fumes are then cooled off in a pipe and the drops poor down in a vial becoming rose water. It really smells like roses!

Close up of the rose petals

Old ladies in traditional dresses weaving necklases from rose buds which will be used to coronate the Rose queen and the other 2 runner-ups.

A girl being lifted up by 4 boys, part of a traditional Bulgarian dance called 'horo'.

More of the 'horo' dance

Tourists taking pictures with Bay Ganyo - the most famous Bulgarian fictional character who is known to travel the world trying to sell rose oil vials. The two ladies dressed as a Western businessman and a Russian comrade are representing the mockery that Bay Ganyo was receiving when traveling the world as he was quite the character (the smiling old man with fake mustache looks just like the character)

Two beautiful girls dressed in traditional clothing

These are the rose pickers who join the last event of the festival - a parade where 4000 people pass through the city center dancing, singing, 'fighting', throwing rose petals etc.
)

This is the leader of the cheerleaders of a local school

These are Kukeri - men dressed in costumes they made themselves,
wearing heavy bells on their waists,
dancing in order to scare all evil ghosts ()

I hope you liked the pictures, I've taken many more and will be glad to share them, with this post I hope more people will be interested in this event and will visit this hidden tourist destination in the heart of Bulgaria!

Have a good day all!