Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Carnival "Procession of the Kukers", Fiery Dance

The Kuker games are held in various Bulgarian cities from January 1 to the end of February. This is a pagan tradition, and so ancient that it is difficult to determine exactly when the first Kukers appeared. Thracian customs mixed with the fun of the Bacchus worshipers, then the Slavs arrived with their habits and deities. Well, and then the Proto-Bulgarians arrived and somehow supplemented the existing rituals. This is how the traditions were formed, and then they gradually developed, and even the Ottoman yoke did not interfere with this too much.
Modern Bulgarian kukers dance in the streets to scare away evil spirits and drive away winter, and to ensure that the year brings health and fertility, they perform various rituals.