Corridor: Diagonal Road, Eastern Trans-Balkan Road
Country: Bulgaria, Gela, Smolyan
Type: Intangible Heritage
Epoch:
Theme: Intangible Heritage
World Heritage:

Annually, to the village of Gela in the Rhodope, stream thousands of people to take part in the traditional festival, called by the locals Ilinden. The festival is held every first Sunday of August, by the chapel of “St. Ilya”. The feast is honored not only by the village population, but also by the whole population of Eastern Rhodope. This is also sort of family meeting, ending with “cheverme” (roasted lamb), folk dances and songs.
The feast attracts also numerous tourists, especially with the bagpipe competition. The bagpipe is a traditional instrument for this region, where music is constantly present – this is the birthplace of the mythical hero Orpheus, from here flied off to the Cosmos the famous Bulgarian song “Izlel e Delyo Haidutin” (Rebel Delyo went out).

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