by Marian Draganov
KALOFER, Bulgaria, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Dancing in the icy water is a challenge for many Europeans at this time of year. However, in Kalofer, a small town in Bulgaria, winter dancing has remained a part of the celebrations on January 6 each year.
Few people know for sure when did local men began to celebrate the day by dancing a traditional Bulgarian Horo dance in the icy river of Kalofer, which was established in 1533 and located some 160 kilometers east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
Celebrations began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, when a musician with a drum jumped into the water and broke the ice in the pool that was specially prepared for the day.
The musician was followed by about 200 men, all dressed in national costumes and led by the town's mayor Rumen Stoyanov, who entered the river and danced for nearly 20 minutes.
The dancers were accompanied by a dozen pipers and drummers. Together they sang folk songs and waved Bulgarian flags.
Thousands of spectators from across the country braved snowfalls and low temperatures to watch the unusual performance. Some of them arrived at the river bank before the daybreak.
Among the audience are three students studying folklore at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv.
To better watch the performance, Ivanka Despova, from the southeastern town of Haskovo, Zhaneta Nedkova, from the seaside resort of Kavarna and Tzvetina Gramova, from the mountain town of Zlatitsa, all got up early in the morning after holding a concert in Kalofer on Monday evening.
It is the first time for them to attend the event held in Kalofer, which is situated on the southern slopes of Stara Planina Mountain and along the banks of Tundzha River.
"For me, this Horo dance means a lot. In one word, this dance means Bulgaria," Despova said.
"It is a tradition that should be preserved and continued. We, the Bulgarians, just have to keep it," Gramova added.
