Dzhumali and dervishes chase away evil and diseases in region of Pazardzhik

Forgiveness Sunday – Sirni Zagovezni, celebrated before the Easter Lent, is awaited with particular impatience by the residents of the villages of Kalugerovo and Lesichovo near Pazardzhik. For them, this day coincides with a interesting masquerade holiday. In Kalugerovo it is Dzhumalovden, in Lesichovo – Dervishovden, but the goal is the same – to drive away evil forces, diseases and bad thoughts and to attract prosperity and health throughout the year. The holiday is a living example of syncretism in Bulgarian folklore, where the Christian calendar is intertwined with archaic agrarian-magical practices.

At the beginning, women present the customs of Sirni Zagovezni and participate in horo dances, then come traditionally male mummers – dzhumali in Kalugerovo and dervishes, accompanied by black-painted "arapi" in Lesichovo. They wear traditional clothes or heavy cloaks made of long-haired goat skins, adorned with countless bells and go to the village square where they are welcomed by the crowd. The youngest participants – the children are especially happy with the tradition.

With each step, the mummers jump, the bells clash, producing a powerful noise that, according to beliefs, scares and drives away evil and diseases. In their hands the dzhumali and dervishes carry wooden swords, called "kalachka", with which they jokingly tap people in the crowd – men for health, and women for fertility.

Every year before the holiday, the goat skins are ritually washed in the river to wash away all the negativity that has remained on them during the past year.

Researchers are still arguing whether the roots of this folk holiday lead to the Thracian mysteries or are newer. However, one thing is clear - the noise and merriment bring the community together to mark the transition from winter to a new beginning, with the hope of health and fertility.

Photos: Miglena Ivanova