Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

The White Brotherhood dances with the sun on the Seven Rila Lakes

Photo: EPA/BGNES

Hundreds of people in white, lined up in a concentric circles, dancing and welcoming the rising sun - this unforgettable sight will be witnessed by everyone who visits the Seven Rila Lakes on August 19. The ritual is called Paneurhythmy and through it the followers of Peter Deunov's teachings connect with nature and each other. 

On August 19, the White Brotherhood welcomes the Solar New Year. People from all over Bulgaria and the world gather in the area of Babreka (the Kirdney) lake to perform the 28 movements of the ritual dance Paneurhythmy to the sound of special music.


The etymology of the word Paneurhythmy comes from three roots - "pan", meaning "whole, cosmic", "eu", the true essence of things, and "rhythmia", bringing in the idea of the sacred music. When performed by many people, Paneurhythmy is danced in circles, symbolizing the unity between people and nature.


Bulgarian philosopher and spiritual teacher Peter Deunov, also known worldwide as Beinsa Duno (1864-1944), developed his teaching of esoteric Christianity and gained widespread popularity far beyond the borders of Bulgaria. Bulgaria's most influential spiritual leader was born into the family of priest Konstantin Dunovsky. He graduated from high school in Svishtov, then studied at Boston University in the USA. Returning to Bulgaria, he wrote his first book, Science and Education, published in 1896. In 1914 he gave his first public lecture, which marked the beginning of the Sunday lecture series "Power and Life". For 30 years, in 1600 Sunday lectures, he spoke of the five cardinal virtues enshrined in his teaching - truth, love, justice, wisdom and virtue. 

Compiled by: Elena Karkalanova

Photos: EPA/BGNES, library




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The egg - a symbol of fertility and new life in Bulgarian folklore

Holy Thursday is one of the two days in the Holy Week when we dye eggs for Easter. Tradition dictates that the oldest woman in the family takes on this important task, and the first egg is always dyed red.  The Red Egg – symbol of the..

published on 5/2/24 4:35 AM
The Radio Sofia building

When the BNR “spoke” Polish

Today, the Bulgarian National Radio’s foreign language service Radio Bulgaria “speaks” 11 languages. Through the years, languages have been added, others have been dropped – something that happened to the Polish-language programmes. They were aired by..

published on 2/16/24 7:10 AM

105th anniversary of the birth of legendary piper Dafo Trendafilov

On this day - 17 January - we celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of the legendary piper Dafo Trendafilov . He was born in 1919 in the village of Gela in the Rhodope Mountains and his whole life remains forever linked to this mystical land. He began..

published on 1/17/24 7:40 AM