Chasing evil spirits the masked way

Mummers’ games across Europe date from pagan times

No, face coverings are not a brand new fad. Long before Covid-19 swept over Europe, groups of frolicking men wearing masks would chase evil spirits away, engaging their fellow-citizens in ritual games. The earliest recorded evidence, according to Wikipedia, is the mention of "mummers of the court" performing at the wedding celebration of King Edward I's daughter at Christmas, 1296. 16th century German and Austrian sources recount how persons wearing masks used to make house-to-house visits during carnivals, offering a mum(en)schanz, a game of dice.

Relic from pagan times 

In the Balkans, masked games played in January and February hark back to pagan times, showcasing the battle between Good and Evil, the deadening spell of Winter and the revival of Spring. Describing the ritual, Bulgaria can be a good starting point, as this is a living tradition in many of the country’s settlements and not just an attraction targeted at tourists. The elaborate masks and costumes are prepared a year in advance by whole families, with adults teaching the young the craft of mask making.

On 1 January, the first day of the New Year, which coincides with Vasilyovden (St Basil’s Day), survakari (mummers) do their rounds. In some parts of Bulgaria, the performers wear masks made of wooden bowls wrapped in leather, with horns attached to them, imitating fantastic and monstrous beasts. Elsewhere, masks resemble domestic and wild birds.  

The mission of survakari is to scare away evil spirits on the loose, so their costumes are belted with bells of all shapes and sizes that make a deafening noise. Gathering in the village centre, the disguised survakari light fires and tease the audience into play. Some of them are dressed as ritual characters – bride and bridegroom, bear and bear-tamer. Afterwards, they embark on their house-to-house visits wishing good luck to all members of the household. They tap people’s backs with a decorated cornel stick while pronouncing blessings. The belief is that the magical stick will transmit its tough, resilient properties to humans.

UNESCO recognition

The Surova folk feast in Pernik region, Bulgaria, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2015. Its culmination is the International Festival of Masquerade Games in Pernik, attended by thousands locals and foreigners.

Regretfully, the festival, planned for 24-26 January 2020, was called off – for the first time in its history – due to the unprecedented water crisis in the city. The acclaimed event will probably suffer the same fate in 2021, this time because of the coronavirus pandemic. But, having endured far greater ordeals over the ages, the Bulgarians, trained by the magical cornel stick, have shown that they can wait...