Post by VisitBulgariaToday on Nov 9, 2016 12:14:14 GMT
KAZANLAK ROSE FESTIVAL AT GLANCE
10/13/2016 0 Comments
Kazanlak Rose Festival, rose festival, rose festival bulgaria, rose valley, Rose Festival japan, rose festival tokyo, фестивал роза, казънлък роза, казънлък рози, розобер, бране на рози,
Every year, during the first weekend of June, local community in Kazanlak organizes the annual Rose Festival. The first festival took place 108 years ago, in 1903. Celebrations were held annually, at the beginning of the rose- harvesting period. Karlovo and Pavel Banya - also known for their rose production, started organizing local rose festivals, too. Manufacturers from the whole valley gather dressed up in rose flowers. Mummers, called “koukeri” take part in the street parade. People sing and dance in the streets during the whole fest.
Did you know that:
One of the world's most beautiful rose oil today comes from Bulgaria.
One of the highest per cent of the world's attar of roses is obtained in the Valley of Roses.
3,5 tons of rose petals go into the making of one kilogram of rose oil, which has the price of gold.
The Bulgarian “attar” of roses is an important component in the perfumery business
throughout the world.
Bulgarian rose oil is used in space industry, as a greasing component in space equipment, due to its resistance to any temperature changes.
Rosa Damascena is the name of the oil-yielding rose, which made Bulgaria famous for production of the best rose oil in the world. “Born” in Syria, Damascus, Rosa Damascena mill was brought to Bulgarian lands during the 17the century –Bulgaria then was part of the Ottoman Empire. This full of aroma rose found a second home in Bulgaria. It gave its name to a whole region – The Rose valley of Bulgaria. Extending more than 130 km along the Balkan mountain range, the Rose valley is surrounded by two mountains, which stop the cold winds in the wintertime and help create a specific climate.
The combination of several factors makes this region a unique place for growing this sort of rose. The oil extracted from it is the best quality in the world. So the Valley of Roses became a centre of rose oil production and export for centuries. The Rose Valley includes Karlovo and Kazanlak fields, as well as some parts of the Nova Zagora fields. The Total area is about 3,300 square kilometers.
The rose bushes flower for about 25 days a year from mid-May to mid-June. The blooms are picked by hand early in the morning when the aroma is strongest, and transported in small quantities to the distillery. Seedlings come from the Rose Research Institute at Kazanluk, which has developed several Damascena rose varieties suited to conditions in the valley. International buyers pay for the Bulgarian product prices reaching Euro 4,000 a kilo.
Three main events are worth a visit – early morning harvesting ritual in the rose fields, the electing of Queen Rose and the parade along the streets of each town. The processions and the celebrations last for two days. The climax of the festival in on Sunday when Queen Rose is being elected and festival parade takes place along the main streets of each village. There are other interesting events, taking place during the festival weekend – choir a cappella and folklore concerts, art shows, exhibitions, wine-tasting, gourmet-shows, etc. The Rose Festival and the fame of the Bulgarian oil-yielding rose attract numerous visitors from all parts of the world, the most numerous are visitors from Japan, Taiwan and France.