The National Thracian folklore festival Tread of the Holy Mother of God is taking place on August 9 and 10.

There is a beautiful natural rock formation known by the name of “Tread of the Holy Mother of God” close to the town of Stara Zagora, where the town’s mineral baths are located. According to legend this is a sanctuary connected with different pagan religious rituals going back thousands of years. They say that here, the Virgin Mary came down from the sky to rescue a group of Christians who were being tortured by the Romans. As a symbol of this miracle, a hollow appeared in the rock’s surface shaped like a human foot and filled with water at all times. After the conversion to Christianity, the grounds around the rock were considered sacred and a small chapel was built recently, called Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The folklore festival Tread of the Holy Mother of God takes place close to this natural phenomenon. Here is Diana Atanassova, head of the “Culture, tourism and religious denominations” department at Stara Zagora municipality, one of the event’s organizers, with more:

“The atmosphere is truly unique and the festival quickly developed into an important cultural event for the town, bringing together folklore ensembles from all parts of the country. We have more than 3,500 people coming here. Most of them return the following year and say they are highly impressed by the location, the unique landscapes, as well as the organization. And that is something we are truly proud of. Alongside our desire to preserve and popularize folklore traditions and customs, we have also set ourselves the task of making the Stara Zagora mineral baths a cultural hub. We believe we shall succeed because this scenic place has a long and eventful history, combined with the wondrous effect of the mineral waters and the beauty of the Surnena portion of Mount Sredna Gora.”

Ass. Prof. Kroum Georgiev, an eminent Bulgarian folklore expert, holder of the prestigious I.G.F Oscar (the International Federation of National Folklore Federations) is one of the festival’s organizers:

“The idea to organize the festival belongs to the Edirne Epopee Thracian association and Stara Zagora municipality was glad to join in. Other organizers include the culture community club at the Stara Zagora mineral baths, as well as the Regional Museum of History and the Regional Handicrafts Chamber in the town. The dance and song ensembles will perform on two stages. For the first time we have two groups from abroad – from Russia and from Indonesia. Groups included in the Ministry of Culture national programme “Living human treasures” will be performing here for the second time. We are planning to create a special “Living human treasures” stage in future. The Bulgarian ensembles come from the region of Plovdiv, Veliko Turnovo, Blagoevgrad, Pernik and from all parts, where settlers or their descendents live – Edirne and Aegean Thrace. On Saturday, August 9 we shall present the dances of the nestinari (fire-dancers) and I feel certain that the fiery ritual will attract a big audience. The concert devoted to the 160^th birth anniversary of Captain Petko the Voevod is at 6.30 that same evening. It will feature folk singer Valya Balkanska as well as actor Vassil Mihailov who starred in the role of Captain Petko the Voevod in a film about the legendary rebel fighter.”

As Ass. Prof. Georgiev said further, on the sidelines of the festival there will be a demonstration as well as lessons in folk dancing, a children’s plein air, a Bulgarian handicrafts sales exhibition. And in one of the village courtyards, in an authentic traditional atmosphere, there will be a presentation of Bulgarian rituals and ceremonial loaves.

English version: Milena Daynova