Whoever you ask about Zheravna Festival of the National Costume, will tell you ”Zheravna is magic”. Zheravna is magic because everybody wears a traditional Bulgarian ”nosia” and the usage of contemporary objects like plastic bottles and electronic devices is strictly forbidden. Also, everything is authentic – the costumes, the music, the dances, the food and the joy of gathering together. Let’s immerse ourselves in the magic of Zheravna.
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The magic of Zheravna
Zheravna Festival takes place in the middle of August in the village of Zheravna. The entrance fees are 25 leva for the three days of the festivities. It’s almost impossible to find accommodation in the village itself or nearby for the festival period because everything is fully booked in advance. Hence, a solution is to sleep in a tent or to come by camper – what a lot of people do. We managed to find a hotel in Sliven, located in 50km from Zheravna.
My personal experience
First of all, that was my first time in Zheravna. I wanted to dress up in а traditional Bulgarian nosia. Thus, I took a handmade nosia, made by my husband’s grandmother. My nosia represented the Dobrudzha region (the north of Bulgaria). I enjoyed wearing a nosia all day long and spending a day of digital detox. Especially, to those who want to participate in Zheravna festival, I would recommend visiting the village of Zheravna as well. Also, it is an architectural reserve as it preserves many old Bulgarian wooden and stone houses. Besides, the village is a fairy tale itself.
Yordan Yovkov’s house-museum in Zheravna
Another attraction I visited was the house-museum of the famous Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov. He is also a great master of the short novel. On my way back, I stopped by an old-fashioned cafe for a Turkish coffee on the hot sand. It was a travel-in-the-past day.
Day 1 of The magic of Zheravna Festival
The festival was open at 17.00 and “100 Kaba Gaidi” orchestra (bagpipers orchestra) welcomed all the participants at the entrance. The festivities took place in a dedicated meadow in the woods. In addition, there were two separate scenes for tradition dances (horo). The opening of the event started at 20.00 with an official part, traditional dances and songs. Although we left the festival at 23.00, the festivities continued.
What you need to know before visiting Zheravna Festival ?
First, I would suggest staying the three days but keep in mind that it might be crowded and access by car might be difficult. Seems like, it’s not ”on a budget” event. It’s expensive as you need to prepare a nosia in advance (if you don’t have any), book travelling and accommodation. Thus, meals and drinks at the venue of the festival are not cheap either.
Blue Rocks near Sliven and Kotel
The second day of the festival we decided to head to the ”Blue Rocks’‘, a Natural Park near Sliven. The park is massive and surrounded by ”Blue Rocks”. You can hike for hours and the scenery is breathtaking. It was not busy around as everybody was queueing in Zheravna. After the ”Blue Rocks”, we decided to pay respect to those who fought for Bulgarian freedom and visited Kotel. In addition, Kotel is one of the key cities where the Bulgarian Rebellion was prepared.
The Historical Museum of Kotel is a combination of a museum and a mausoleum. It’s one of the best museums I’ve ever visited. The spirit of the revolt hovers there in between the tombs of those who paid with their lives the freedom of Bulgaria.
Interested by Festivals in Bulgaira? Continue reading here: Local and authentic festivals in Bulgaria – which one to visit?
Thanks for reading!