Tour de force: hill folk

The next stop on the London Bulgarian Choir's tour of its cultural homeland is the heritage village of Koprivshtitsa, in the forested hills east of Sofia. It was once a hotbed of revolutionary zeal and passionate anti-establishment plotting. This weekend this rustic and otherwise sleepy community is filled to the rafters for the national festival of Bulgarian culture, held every five years. 

Circle of life

Hair extensions

They drew the short straw

We're here to soak up the atmosphere, but also to open the festival with a performance on the international stage. We have brought the Swiss Bulgarian Choir with us and our collective singers are in guest houses scattered around town. I'm staying in the 'goathouse', or it may be the gatehouse, as there's a giant wooden entrance to the garden compound surrounding the place. Our luggage is transported by taxi while we walk to our digs up steep, cobbled lanes.

Precarious transfer

After a quick pit-stop a few of us head off to explore the music stages. Scattered across the hillsides above town we find all manner of folk life and music. People come from all over Bulgaria to represent their villages and regions, and to show off the songs and stories they've grown up with. There are bright young things in dazzling costumes, but just as plentiful are choirs of grannies whose years are numbered, along with the songs they proudly share.

Gaida (bagpipes Bulgarian-style)

Singing 'on high'

Dressed to thrill

So proud to be here

Linking it all are pathways lined with handicrafts and souvenir stalls, and food offerings catering to every taste, from candy floss to hog roasts to vegan fare (this last a most unlikely addition since our last visit). And everywhere you look there are gaggles of women resting in the shade, eating lunch, joining in the circle dances that break out all over the hillsides, or changing into costume in the bushes. Needs must.

Changing room: women on the verge

Keeping their cool between sets

When our concert rolls around it feels a little ramshackle – the sound is poor – but the audience love us and erupt in wild cheering all the same. Following our set, a couple walk on hot coals – after a two-hour build-up – then the whole square fills up with a giant circle dance. 

Waiting to go on stage

For anyone looking for respite from the music and drama, Koprivshtitsa has some beautiful old house-museums where all manner of revolutionary activity was hatched in the late-19th century. Nosing around their peaceful cobbled courtyards and prettily painted interiors is a world away from the festival throng up on the hill. 

An oasis of calm awaits

Inside it's richly decorated and agreeably shady