I n May, Bulgaria resounds with the sound of flutes and pipes. It is then, at the heart of this country, in the con- nected towns of Kazanlak, Shipka, Kar- lovo and Kalofer, that festivals are held in honour of the rose. Songs are heard all the way to the top of the Balkan Moun- tain and the always-snow-covered peak of Botev. And the songs follow the scent of the rose. Here is the birthplace of the famed Damascene rose, better known as the Bul- garian rose, the essence of which is among the most popular fragrances of world-fa- mous perfumes. Perfumeries love it for its intense scent of fruit, wood or tobac- co aroma, and the hectares and hectares of fields covered by this variety of flower are the reason why this central Bulgarian region is called the Rose Valley. Although the area has a mild Mediter- ranean climate, coming up from the south via the Central Mountains, which favours the flowering of these scented beauties, it is not reliably known how they ended up precisely in Bulgaria. It is presumed that the first rosebush was brought from Asia and planted there at the beginning of the 18th century. Since then, Bulgaria – along with Turkey and Morocco – has been a leading exporter of rose petals worldwide. And since then roses have been planted, nurtured, raised and picked in this bless- ed land. They sing to them, they celebrate them, they live from them. The traditional Rose Festival is organ- ised every May. Ruzhoberachke, as Bulgar- ians call the women who usually spend their entire working lives in the rose fields, wear folk costumes and sing and dance all day, and everyone has the most fun at the Rose Carnival Parade in Kazanlak. Still, this festival is only preparation for the hard work that lies ahead. That’s because the pickers head to the rose
Ovde i muškarci beru cveće, pa ih često možete videti kako na ramenima nose džakove. A ruža, premda lepo miri- še i ponosno širi svoje nežne latice, ume i da ubode čim joj se nespretno priđe. Ruke vrednih ružoberački, ispucale i potamnele, svedoče o tome. Ne vrede kreme za ruke. Nose se rukavice, ali ne pomažu. Jedina „unifor- ma“ je kecelja krcata laticama. A latica mora biti baš mnogo jer je za samo litar ružinog ulja neophodno ubra- ti četiri tone latica. Samo s bugarskih po- lja ruža godišnje se dobije do 600 litara ružinog ulja, koje proizvođači parfema plaćaju i po 4.000 evra za litar. Upravo te ruže Živanši, na primer, pretače u svoj opojni parfem Very Irresistible , a jedna od limitiranih serija tog čuvenog miri- sa, Very Irresistible Bulgarian Rose , po- svećena je baš bugarskoj ruži. U Kazanlaku su nikle prve ruže od kojih se dobijalo ulje. Tu se nalazi i se- dište Instituta za ruže, jedinstvenog na Balkanu. Osnovan je davne 1907. Ovde je i Muzej ruža, gde se čuvaju i kazani, preteče destilerija. Iako na zasadima ruža provedu veći deo života, beračice retko kupuju parfe- me u kojima cveće koje beru na koncu završi. Što zbog često lošeg imovinskog stanja, što zbog toga jer im je, kako ka- žu, najlepši miris pravih pravcatih ruža. Od Kazanlaka se put spušta ka mo- ru. Ali šta će kome Crno kada ima čita- vo more ruža.
fields as soon as this tourist attraction ends.
It’s always an early morning in May when millions of roses open their petals to greet the sun. Pickers on the plan- tations used to carry wicker baskets and pack clusters of flowers into them, but the 21 st century did its part by introduc- ing plastic sacks that replaced the bas- kets on the scene. Here men also pick flowers, so you can often see them carrying sacks on their shoulders. And although the rose smells beautiful and spreads its petals proudly, it also knows how to prick the fingers of those who approach it clumsily. The hands of diligent rose pickers, cracked and darkened, testify to this. It’s no use trying hand cream. Gloves are worn, but they do not help, the only “uniform” is an apron laden with petals. And there must be a lot of petals, be- cause just one litre of rose oil requires the collection of four tonnes of petals. Bulgar- ian rose fields alone produce an annu- al yield of up to 600 litres of rose oil, for which perfume producers pay €4,000 per litre. It is precisely these roses, for example, that Givenchy converts into its intoxicating perfume Very Irresistible, and one of the limited editions of this famous fragrance, Very Irresistible Bulgarian Rose, is dedi- cated specifically to the Bulgarian rose. It was in Kazanlak that the first ros- es from which oil was obtained sprout- ed. It is also houses the headquarters of the Institute of Roses, which is unique in the Balkans and was founded in 1907. There is also the Rose Museum, which preserves the cauldrons that predated stills for distilling oil. Although they spend most of their lives in the rose fields, pickers rarely buy perfumes containing the extracts of the flowers they collect. This is often because of their poor economic situation, but al- so because, as they say, the most beau- tiful scent is that of real roses. From Kazanlak the road descends to- wards the sea. But what does anyone need the Black Sea for when they have an en- tire sea of roses?
Here men also pick flowers, and you can often see them carrying sacks on their shoulders Ovde i muškarci beru cveće, pa ih često možete videti kako na ramenima nose džakove
Svakog maja organizuje se tradicionalni Praznik ruža The traditional Rose Festival is organised every May
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