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MOLDPRES REPORT: Bulgaria's story would not be complete without roses

13:17 | 05.06.2023 Category: Social

Sofia, June 5 /MOLDPRES/- The last day of the Rose Festival program, held on June 1-4, in Kazanlak, Bulgaria, included several artistic performances and shows, which showed in detail the tradition of cultivating the Damask rose, the oil of which is considered "Bulgaria's liquid gold".

The celebration culminated with the "Розобер" ritual in the rose gardens near the city of Kren, in the presence of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his wife Desislava Radeva, several Bulgarian officials, deputies, members of the diplomatic staff etc.

According to tradition, roses are picked before sunrise. Picking should be completed by 9 a.m., as the concentration of essential oil in the flower is highest from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., when the dew is heaviest. Songs are sung in the rose garden and the girls compete to see who can pick the most flowers. Once the rose picking is over, the owner collects the crop and pays the pickers. The flower is weighed and the best picker leads a chain dance across the field. It takes about 3.5 tons of rose flower to produce one kilogram of rose oil.

After the performance of the flower-picking ritual, the Kazanlak Rose Festival continued with the biggest carnival procession in Bulgaria, which this year gathered over ten thousand people.

"In the presence of the official guests, a colorful carnival procession passed through the central street of the city, led by Queen Rose 2023, Kristina Popova, delegates who represented local and national educational institutions, artistic collectives from the country and abroad, folk craftsmen who support and promotes the history of rose production in the region, etc.", MOLDPRES special envoy in Kazanlak said.

"Bulgaria's story would not be complete without the rose from which we produce oil," President Rumen Radev said to residents and guests of Kazanlak.

With a tradition since 1903, the Kazanlak Rose Festival attracts thousands of tourists from Bulgaria, the Balkan states, as well as from other countries and continents, for which special tours are organized. Tourists can admire the folk costumes and traditional dances during the parade.

The Rose Festival is held in the first weekend of June. "The festival has been held annually since 1903 in Kazanlak. It celebrates the country's connection with Rosa Damascena, the Bulgarian rose with rich oil content, as well as all the gifts with which the Rose Valley has been blessed for centuries. The festival includes cultural, social events, dances, music and sports competitions", MOLDPRES special envoy in Kazanlak said.

Bulgaria is the largest producer of rose oil in the world. The species from which the oil can be refined is called Rosa Damascena (Damascus Rose). It is said to have been brought to Bulgaria from Syria by a Turkish judge settled in Kazanlak around the 13th century. It has a unique, sweet and very strong fragrance, the flowers are always pink.

The agenda of the Rose Festival included the 18th world meeting of Bulgarian media, organized by BTA, in which MOLDPRES also participated.

 

Lilia Grubîi, Bulgaria

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