Thousands gather for traditional dance ritual at Bulgarian mountain lake

A few thousand white-clad followers of the Universal White Brotherhood society performed rituals during a three-day meet at a glacial lake in Bulgaria's Rila Mountains on Wednesday (August 19), to celebrate the coming of the movement's 'divine new year'.

Every year, devotees of the society, which combines a form of Christianity with Indian mysticism, celebrate their divine new year high up in Bulgaria's meadows. But one of the highlights is what the society's founder calls "paneurhythmy," a ritual in which devotees say they 'link with cosmic energy'.

According to books on the ritual, paneurhythmy is a system of physical and musical exercises developed by Bulgarian Peter Deunov, known as Beinsa Deunov by his followers, between 1922 and 1944. The exercise is said to achieve inner balance and harmonisation. 

In practice, followers move around gracefully in concentric circles for about 80 minutes on a large meadow or glacier cirque, near Kidney lake, accompanied by violins and choirs.

The group was banned under Communism. Today, the followers who come from France, Canada and Italy meet yearly to commune with nature and perform dances, prayers and meditations.

-Camera and editing: Spasiyana Sergieva, Stoyan Nenov; Production and writing: Malgorzata Wojtunik/Reuters