This collection is inspired by Bulgarian ancestral rituals, held at the beginning of each year mostly in the southern part of the country. 

Kukeri (кукери) are elaborately costumed Bulgarian men, who perform traditional rituals intended to scare away evil spirits. This Bulgarian tradition has been practiced since Thracian times and is of a Thracian origin.  This is supposed to be the last alive pagan ritual in Europe  and in 2015, the festival has been designated as a UNESCO site of intangible cultural heritage.

Costumes are typically made from goat or sheep furs big, noisy bells are hanging on the waist of the Kuker performer and scarry mask is covering the face creating an monstruous appearance. 

The costumes, the masks the performance are acts of power and connection with the world of the unseen. I found the expression of this ritual also as a highly esthetic universe. While you watch this performance a powerful feeling runs through your veins it is a feeling of fear, joy and ecstasy. The dance aims to scare the bad spirits and clear the path for the spring to come.

<<I see a rug as an expression of the universe as an object embedding a tradition.

I was looking for the most powerful expression of our roots and that’s how I decided to bring one of the last pagan rituals in Europe into attention. My intention is to bring through this design the power of dance, belief, fear, excitement and joy embodied into an everyday object. >> Eliza Yokina