Director: Stanislava Stoyanova XVII National and I International "Holiday of Folk Customs and Authentic Costumes" Ribaritsa village, Teteven municipality, 18 - 20 July 2025 Organizers: "Razvitie -1931" Community center Ribaritsa village, with the support of Teteven Municipality Venue: The Kostina Historical Site, Ribaritsa village Town host: Teteven is a town in Lovech District, Central Northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative and economic center of the Teteven Municipality of the same name. The population of the town as of 2021 is 7,850 inhabitants, making it the third largest settlement in the district. The village of Ribaritsa is located in the Stara Planina region, at the foot of the Stara Planina Mountains in the Teteven Balkans, 12 km from the town of Teteven, 83 km southwest of Lovech and 122 km northeast of the capital Sofia. The village is located on the banks of the Beli Vit River. Purpose of the festival: To popularize Bulgarian folklore. To protect and preserve folklore traditions and customs. To help develop amateur folklore creativity. Guests from abroad are our ambassadors of traditions. They are the ones who will present the native folklore and way of life of their country and thus will turn the Authentic Costumes Festival into a kind of bridge between cultures and traditions. Bulgarian customs are carriers of national identity, and their roots are sought in the distant past, firmly intertwined with history and the Christian religion. Over the years, inherited traditions have been preserved and enriched, as evidenced today by the rich cultural calendar, which includes dozens of international and national festivals and gatherings. And where, except at a traditional gathering, can you feel the thrill and atmosphere of traditional culture and enjoy a real holiday. Intoxicated by songs, music, dances and supported by a sufficient amount of local cuisine, you tangibly feel and are saturated with authentic Bulgarian folklore. This is precisely the magic of the Festival of Folk Customs and Authentic Costumes in Ribaritsa. The festival unites "folk music, customs, rituals, verbal folklore, dances, clothing and costumes - the entire traditional folk culture", combined with "an exhibition of traditional Bulgarian livelihood, crafts and local cuisine". These festivals must find their supporters, followers and like-minded people from all over the country and abroad to turn the center of Ribaritsa into a rostrum of inexhaustible cheerfulness and uniqueness, and all visitors must have the opportunity to taste the so-called "balkanka", cooked on the grill, on coals, on a plate, in brine. In order to guarantee the quality of the production and to support and stimulate local production, during the holidays there is a specially designated area where local producers, artisans presenting their traditional production and traders of products related to Bulgarian folklore from all over the country, and why not also guests from abroad, are allowed. This is where the foreign participants come in. They are our ambassadors of traditions. They are the ones who, in turn, will present the native folklore and way of life and thus turn the Authentic Costumes Festival into a kind of bridge between cultures and traditions. Participants: Non-professional groups and individual performers presenting authentic and processed dance, song, music and verbal folklore. Categories: І FOLKLORE SONGS 1.1. Choirs /unlimited number of participants/ 1.2. Chamber choirs /up to 8 participants/ 1.3. Individual performers ІІ. FOLKLORE DANCES 2.1. Dance groups 2.2. Clubs for folk dances ІІІ. FOLKLORE ENSEMBLES IV. FOLKLORE MUSIC /instrumentalists/ 4.1. Individual performances 4.2. Orchestral performances V. VERBAL FOLKLORE 5.1. Presentation of a custom Age categories: 1. Up to 10 years old 2. 10-18 years 3. Over 18 years Awards: "Holiday of Folk Customs and Authentic Costumes" has a competitive nature. The performances are evaluated by a professional jury in the field of folklore. All participants receive a Honorary sign, Diplomas of Participation and Certificates for laureates in the respective degree at the discretion of the jury First, Second and Third Prizes are awarded in each category The Grand Prize of the festival - "Guardian of Folklore" Special prizes: Award of the Mayor of Teteven Municipality Award of the Teteven Municipal Council Award of the organizers - "Razvitie -1931" Community center Ribaritsa village Award of the jury Foreign groups receive an Honorary Plaque, Certificate of Participation and Diploma. Foreign participants make an independent presentation lasting 20 minutes or, if desired, a solo concert during the festival evenings Time limits: Each organization has the right to a duration of up to 20 /twenty/ minutes, regardless of the type of performance, the groups or ensembles representing this organization. Duration of the performance for each category: 1. Folklore songs - up to 6 min. 2. Dance groups /processed and authentic folklore - up to 10 min. 3. Instrumentalists 3.1 Individuals - up to 6 min. 3.2 Orchestral - up to 10 min. 4. Verbal folklore /custom/ - up to 10 min. 5. Costume presentation - 3 min. 6. Ensemble performances - up to 15 min. Special conditions: 1. One of the performances with which each organization participates is desirable to be from the Northern folklore region. 2. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to record the performances or parts of them for the festival archive, without paying royalties for this. 3. The musical accompaniment must be on CD or FLASH memory, in case there is no orchestra. 4. The musical medium must contain a recording of the accompaniment or musical composition only of the performances / performance for the festival. 5. It will be strictly monitored whether the regulations of the performances and their duration are strictly observed. 6. Requests for changes in the performances, their type and title are made until the last day of receipt of applications - 10.07.2025. 7. All travel, accommodation and food expenses are at the expense of the participants. 8. Professional singers, dancers, instrumentalists and actors are not allowed in group and individual performances and will not be included in the awards. 9. No participation fee is required. 10. Applications are accepted until 01.07.2025. In case of accommodation by the organizers, the application deadline is 01.06.2025. Preliminary program: 18.07.2025 14.00 - Welcoming and accommodating participants; 18.00 - Opening of the festival; 18.30 - Concert of an invited group. 19.07.2025 10.00 - Competition program; 19.00 - Awarding of participants of the first festival day and gala concert of the awarded groups. 20.07.2025 10.00 - Competition program; 17.00 - Awarding of the participants of the second festival day and giving of the Special Awards. 21.07.2025 Breakfast. Check out from the hotel. During the festival days, local cuisine - beans and brine (fish soup) is provided for lunch for participants. /The organizers reserve the right to change the festival program./ During the three festival days, for willing participants, the organizers also offer tourist walks and attractions: All Saints Church, Saint Elijah Monastery and Teteven Historical Museum; Visit of "Skoka" Waterfall; Sport fishing at the "Varbaka" Complex; Horseback riding at the "Varbaka" Complex. /Services at the "Varbaka" Complex are paid./ Participation fee: 170 Euro per person - 3 HB (breakfast and dinner) Accommodation in 2/3 rooms Additional day - 60 Euro Accommodation in single room - additional 10 Euro per person per night Hotels: HOTEL 3* /PARK HOTEL RIBARITSA/ - https://hotel-ribaritsa.com/ HOTEL 3* /SPA HOTEL PLANINATA/ - https://www.planinata-bg.com/ HOTEL 3* /FAMILY HOTEL ZORNITSA/ - http://hotelzornitsa.com/bg/ *The groups can also be accommodated from July 16, 2025, and during this period they will be offered excursions, use of the spa centers in the hotels and relaxation areas. Any group, willing to participate, must submit an Application form. All filled applications mean acceptance of the terms laid by the present regulation.