Kukeri Workshop & 2012 Folklife Parade
The Bulgarian Community has been once again honored by The Folklife Festival. For a second year in a row we have been invited to stage a Kukeri parade. We are calling on all families, sons and fathers to participate in this ancient and sacred Bulgarian tradition. Learn, discover and work alongside each other making a Kukeri mask which you also get to keep as a part of your family and cultural heritage.
Photo by Ivo Christov
We will be making the masks during two weekend workshops – March 24th & 25th and March 31st & April 1st. Various time slots available to accommodate your schedule.
Please connect with us on Facebook or send an email to seattlekukeri@gmail.com to get more details and reserve a time slot. Allow 4 to 6 hours over the two weekends to complete your mask and indicate the best day or days for you.
Suggested donation for the workshop is $50 per person which will cover the cost of materials.
Enjoy a Kukeri Workshop Invitation Video
For the Northwest Folklife Festival 2011, The Radost Folk Ensemble produced a kukeri parade as part of the Folklife’s Bulgarian Cultural Focus. Folklife has asked the Bulgarian Community to produce a kukeri parade again for the next Folklife Festival, Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, 2012.
For the Northwest Folklife Festival 2011, The Radost Folk Ensemble produced a kukeri parade as part of the Folklife’s Bulgarian Cultural Focus. Folklife has asked the Bulgarian Community to produce a kukeri parade again for the next Folklife Festival, Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, 2012.
The 2011 production was made possible primarily by the loan of fifteen kukeri masks and bells home-made by college students in California. Additional bells and the underlying Bulgarian folklore costumes were provided by the Radost Folk Ensemble. A replica wooden plow was also produced specifically for the kukeri parade.
To produce the 2012 Folklife parade, a new collection of masks and bells will need to be made or procured. Traditionally, the masks have been made by the local Bulgarian villagers, and the bells were those used on the goats, cows, and bulls. To make the masks for the local Seattle Bulgarian community, a series of workshops will be needed to foster interest in the project and produce the various rituals and costume parts:
Setting the groundwork for the workshops will involve contacting local people who have knowledge of the kukeri ritual. There are a number of Bulgarians living in the Seattle area that grew up in areas of Bulgaria known for the kukeri – Pernik, Sliven, Yambol, and others. The University of Washington has a strong Slavic department that has always supported the local Bulgarian community. Members of the local and regional folklore community have researched the kukeri ritual and are eager to support the project.
The most important part of the project is to engage as many people from the local Bulgarian and folklore community as possible. The workshops will involve researchers, designers, and skilled and un-skilled production people. There will be tasks for adults and children, and many different kinds of opportunities for showing the kukeri costumes and rituals.
On-line Resources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukeri