24th  Edition of Surva International Festival of  Masquerade Games Kicks Off on January 30

Sofia, January 20 (BTA) - The 24th edition of the Surva
International Festival of Masquerade Games will take place in
the western town of Pernik between January 30 and February 1,
organizers said. Some 85 masquerade groups and nearly 5,400
participants from eleven countries are expected to take part.
The youngest participant is two years old, while the oldest is
80 years old. Participating will be groups from Slovakia,
Serbia, Italy, Slovenia, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Romania,
Greece, Indonesia and Palestine.

The festival will take place under the auspices of Culture
Minister Vezhdi Rashidov.
Rashidov told a news conference: "The Culture Ministry will
always support the preservation of Bulgarian traditions which
evoke the national identity and spirituality."

He recalled that the Culture Ministry supports the festivalÒs
nomination to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Pernik Mayor Ivan Ivanov said
that a decision is expected by the year's end.

Pernik has been holding the festival ever since 1966. In 1985
the festival gained international-event status. In 1995 the
International Federation of Carnival Cities accepted the town of
 Pernik as its full member and in June 2009 Pernik was
proclaimed as the European capital of Surva's and Mumers.