The village of Lyulin is located on the southern slopes of Lyulin mountain, nearby the town of Pernik. The settlement was formed by two villages – Railovo and Tsrnel, which were united in 1961, and the new settlement was named after Mount Lyulin.
Memories of Lyulin’s Surova customs can be recalled from the beginning of the 20th century. There was a Survakar group in the village even during the times of socialism. Vintage black and white photographs have been kept in the archive collection of their community center.
According to the stories of the local people and from earlier photo documents, it can be seen that some time ago the Survakars of Lyulin used animal skins for their costumes. They turned their coats inside out, and skins and horns were also used for the masks. At that time, many animals were raised in the village and procuring horns was not a problem.
Today, the costumes of the survakars are made of bright green rags and the masks are made of tall wooden structures decorated with feathers. One Survakar we met, Mario Ivanov, explains that they work on their masks year-round, painting their feathers, designing the ‘faces’- he says it is great fun for the whole community.
The lead maskmaker of the group shows us his collection of creations. He has been making the large feathered ‘faces’ for decades now. Some are made with the natural brown and white bird feathers while other’s are brightly colored and form intricate designs on both front and back. In more recent years, in addition to the feathered faces, he has also began to create wooden masks. He brings us to a separate room in the workshop lined entirely with tables full of wood carved masks, no two the same.
We sit at the workshop and enjoy a glass of homemade wine with Mario, his family, and friends. He proudly shows us the shelves of awards won by their group at contests across Bulgaria. Trophies shine above us as we eat chocolates and look at the array of photos pinned to the walls. We share no common language with anyone in the group, so we communicate through laughter, body language and some help from our phones. They leave us with gifts and smiles.
Additional Sources: Survakari.com
