Ritual Kukeri Masks and Inspiration
Published on: 2004-01-16
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They had to frighten the unknown and dispel the evil and the diseases. The masks are used by instinct to express people’s fears, to encourage life and fertility. Originally the masks are made of fur or leather, textiles, burlaps, rugs, colourful cloths, feathers, and even stuffed animals in the Survakari masks. They represent weird blend of human and animal features usually exaggerated and with disproportions.
In ancient times the old Thracians held the Kukeri (mummers’) Ritual Games in honour of god Dionysus - the nature god of fruitfulness and vegetation, especially known as a god of wine and ecstasy. That is why these games are also known as the Dionysus’ games. The Kukeri dancers’ consists of a lot of characters, whose roles are express by the masks – Dionysus, satyrs, tsar, harachari, plyuvkachi, startzi, pesyatzi, etc.
Here there is a review of some of the most common Kukeri characters, attributes and the masks’ symbolism:
In the mask of Dionysus the whole superstructure represents the god’s eyes, the Sun and the entity of man with Nature. The grape bunches symbolize the fruitfulness and the wine and the spitted fir cone is the god’s sceptre, which Dionysus carries on his shoulder. The egg is the cosmic symbol of new life, personification of the primary creation of the world.
The Satyr together with the singing sirens, the maenads and other demonic creatures are part of the Dionysus’ suite. He is a hairy, bearded mummer carrying up to 50 cm long phallus, to symbolize the fruitfulness.
The Kukeri Tsar (Mummer’s Tsar) is a key figure in the Kukeri band. He plays special role in the ritual start ploughing – first he is being killed with a “Krosno” (kind of cloth), serving as a rifle, and afterwards the Kukeri Tsar resurrects to represent the autumn ending of Nature and its awakening in the spring. The Tsar mask has human features, a rich “Tsar” superstructure and a netlike shroud, which (in this case) replaces the original white cloth. The Tsar also carries a Kukeri sceptre.
Important masks’ props are the different attributes that have special symbolic meaning and usage and are always part of the Kukeri costume. Chanove, zvunzi, or khlopatari (cows’ and sheep’s bells) are carried buckled on the waists of the Kukeri and the skurvakari. The total weight of the bells a single kuker can carry is up to 60 kg. The mummers jump and dance to make the bells ring loudly to dispel the evil. The first bell ring sounds at sunrise on the so called “Pesi ponedelnik” (Monday), when the Kukeri games start.
The Torsi or Tirsi represent a fir cone spitted on a stake, symbolizing the divine and the tsar’s power. This is the Kukeri sceptre that Dionysus caries on his shoulder.
The so called Klyunkove represent wooden hooks, by which the Kukeri men get a grip of each other when they play the horo (national round chain dance).
The Phallus, carved out of wood, with head painted in red, up to 50 cm in length is carried stuck in the girdle of the Kukeri Tsar, god Dionysus and the satyrs. It symbolized the fruitfulness, the life-giving forces. In the masks it is replaced by a corn cob.
And the Bilki (herbs) are necessary part of the Kukeri dancers’ costumes. The herbs are used to send away the evil, illnesses and troubles. Popular herb attributes are onion, garlic, dried red hot peppers, goose-grass, sumac, etc. | |
