National Masquerade Festival "Dzhamäla"Национален маскараден фестивал „Джамала“

The "Dzhamäla" Masquerade Festival (Национален маскараден фестивал "Джалама") is a national-scale kukeri/kukerski games festival held in Kyustendil in mid-February. In 2025 it held its 2nd edition on 15–16 Feb 1 2. Dozens of kukeri, survakari (New Year’s spirits) and other masked groups from across Bulgaria converge to compete. Each group performs a 20-minute segment reenacting its local ritual, folk tales or carnival traditions 3. The festival is organized by the city under the Mayoral patronage, reflecting Shopluk’s masquerade heritage. Though new, it celebrates and revitalizes regional mask customs, rewarding authentic costumes and dance. For outsiders it provides a deep dive into Bulgaria’s diverse masquerade rituals beyond Pernik (where Surva occurs), emphasizing the Kyustendil area’s own community masks and folklore.

Dzhamäla (meaning "great fun" in local dialect) draws on both Kukeri (mask games to chase evil) and Survakari (New Year fortune-tellers) traditions. It was introduced by the Kyustendil municipality to showcase eventual cultural exchange between known Kukeri centers, highlighting that the culturally rich Shopluk region has its unique variants. It exemplifies how modern festivals keep such rural practices alive, bridging city and village communities in Western Bulgaria's mask culture.