{"id":700,"date":"2019-05-08T00:34:08","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T21:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/survakari.com\/en\/?p=700"},"modified":"2019-05-12T11:57:05","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T08:57:05","slug":"batanovtsi-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/survakari.com\/en\/2019\/05\/08\/batanovtsi-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Batanovtsi Town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Batanovtsi is a small town in Pernik District, located in close proximity to the international road E871 in the section between the towns of Pernik and Radomir, only 6 km from the local district center. Its population is a bit more than 2000. The major local holidays are Spasovden<\/em> (The Ascension of Christ) and Surova.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year in late autumn, the\npopulation of the settlement starts preparing for the traditional masquerade\ngames. Men who will take part on Surova <\/em>collect\nanimal leathers, horns and wooden shells, from which they manufacture\ntheir costumes and zoomorphic masks. On the eve of the feast (13 January) they put\non their leather clothes turned inside out, place their frightful masks on\ntheir heads, tie heavy strands of bells on their belts and gather on the square\nnear the train station. Their mad dances around the fire attract the whole\npopulation there to play and share the celebration with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the masquerade group of Batanovtsi,\nlike in all of the others, mandatory characters are the \u201cbride\u201d, \u201cgroom\u201d,\n\u201cbrother in law\u201d, \u201cstandard bearer\u201d, \u201cbest man\u201d, \u201clady of honor\u201d, \u201cpriest\u201d, \u201csexton\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 14 January, the masked men visit\nall the houses in the settlement to wish their inhabitants good health,\nfertility and well-being throughout the year. The hosts expect and welcome them\nwith joy, play with them and see them off with generous gifts. An old survakar<\/em> (participant in the custom) in\nthe town tells: \u201cThe best holyday in\nBatanovtsi is Surva. All around the Pernik region there are survakari, but we\nare better than the rest of them. As long as I can remember, we have always\nplayed and gathered the whole region.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the recent decades, in the\nBatanovtsi masquerade group many children join the custom. Children from the\nlocal kindergarten and school look forward to the Surva<\/em> festival, gather animal skins and bells, help in making the\nmasks, experience the biggest holyday of the town and with joy inherit the\ntradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private archive<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n