Bulgarian Folk Music Celebrates at Two Major Festivals

Traditional folk singers at Saturday's Pirin Pee festival in southwestern Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES.

Two important and much-loved Bulgarian folk music festivals – Pirin Sings and the Gela village gathering – are taking place Saturday.

The yearly festival Pirin Sings is held as usual on the Predela pass between the high mountain ranges Rila and Pirin, celebrating folk music from across southwestern Bulgaria, with an emphasis on the so-called Pirin Macedonia region. 1600 participants gathered for this year's edition, with an audience of about 10,000 reported. The festival contest will continue over the weekend.

Thousands are expected over the weekend in the tiny village of Gela in the Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria (official pop. 63). The highlight of the gathering is the yearly national contest in traditional bagpipe playing. The gathering will also continue Sunday. Many foreigners cherish the Gela event as a place where they can savor traditional Rhodope music – and meet people from all walks of life from across the world.

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