Wiebke

The Skykeepers – Kuker beneath the Winter Sun Beneath the boundless winter sky of Sadovik, Bulgaria, the Kukeri raise their feathered crowns to the light — guardians of ritual and rhythm. Between earth and air, colour and silence, they embody the...

The new blog article is now live — a visual journey through the Skykeepers and their role as guardians of light, renewal, and memory.
🔗 Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/Kuker-Skykee...

The Skykeepers – Kuker beneath the Winter Sun Beneath the boundless winter sky of Sadovik, Bulgaria, the Kukeri raise their feathered crowns to the light — guardians of ritual and rhythm. Between earth and air, colour and silence, they embody the...

The new blog article is now live — a visual journey through the Skykeepers and their role as guardians of light, renewal, and memory.
lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...

The Skykeepers have arrived.
Beneath the winter sky of Bulgaria, ancient ritual and living presence meet.
Feathers rise, masks awaken, and the Kuker step beyond performance into transformation.
New Bloglink in the comments :)

A Kuker performer in red and green ritual costume stands alone in a snowy field, carrying a tall headdress made of feathers and birds beneath a deep blue winter sky.

Skykeeper
Before the bells ring and the procession begins, one figure steps forward.
Stay tuned to enter the world of the Skykeepers on 12 February 2026.

Wie Flüchtlinge nach dem Krieg in Dörverden ein neues Zuhause fanden Die Ausstellung „Fluchtpunkt Dörverden" zeigt 15 Zeitzeugen-Interviews. Die Einwohnerzahl der Gemeinde verdoppelte sich damals binnen weniger Jahre.

www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/verd...

Ausstellungsplakat zur Ausstellung "Fluchtpunkt Dörverden"

Ausstellungseröffnung Kulturgut Ehmken Hoff in Dörverden (Deutschland) am 01. Februar 2026 um 14:30 Uhr.
Fluchtpunkt Dörverden – als 1945 242 Menschen in Dörverden ankamen. Welche Bedeutung hat die Erinnerung an diese Zeit für die Familien der Ankommenden? Wie waren die Lebensverhältnisse?

Where Winter Waits and Masks Wake Winter waits in the hills of Bulgaria, where masked spirits awaken in doorways and shadows. A journey through ritual, silence, and storytelling.

Masks are not always disguises.
Sometimes they are awakenings.

Waking Masks — a short reflection on ritual, identity, and the subtle power of cultural encounters.

🔗 tinyurl.com/Waking-Masks

A solitary house sits on a grassy hillside in a rural landscape, surrounded by bare trees and rolling fields. Low clouds drift across distant forested hills beneath a dramatic winter sky, with patches of snow visible in the foreground.

Before winter settles in,
before masks reveal their meaning,
There is a moment of waiting.

A new story for Visiting Kukerland is on its way.

#Kukerland

White Silence Through snow-covered mountain roads, we journey to Brezhani in search of Bulgaria's winter traditions. Here, during the Kuker festival, the Babuger – towering masked figures – step from legend into li...

White silence. Green moss.
Kukerland’s quietest guardians come to life again.
✨ Read: tinyurl.com/White-Silence

Thank you 😊

Got some very exciting mail today 😄📸
My feature “Lie of the Land” is out in Outdoor Photography Magazine (Issue 324)!

Turns out even the most photographed landscapes still have a few secrets left…
if you’re patient enough to look.

Pretty happy about this ✨
@outdoorphotographymag
#photography

Stunning Craftsmanship and Crazy Roads Today, we are leaving Kolarovo behind—at least for now. We are heading north toward Sofia, yet without reaching the capital. But before that, we have some time left—time Ivo suggests we use to try and...

From workshops to winding roads — Kukerland’s traditions come alive through skill, laughter, and a bit of chaos.
✨ Read: tinyurl.com/Kukerland

The Sentinel Tree and Winter Journeys Join a winter journey through Bulgaria’s Pirin Mountains – from misty valleys at sunrise to sandstone pyramids and rushing waterfalls.

Some days are journeys of their own: fog at sunrise, pyramids at noon, and a waterfall’s song by evening. 🌲❄️💦

The Sentinel Tree watched it all → lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...
#WinterJourney #PirinMagic #NatureStories #SentinelTree

When a tree becomes a sentinel, valleys turn into seas of fog, and waterfalls sing — that’s winter in the Pirin foothills. 🌄💦
#WinterJourney #PirinMagic #NatureStories #SentinelTree

Thank you, @eyeconicme.bsky.social :)

Babugeri of Kolarovo Today, we plan to capture breathtaking landscapes at a nearby waterfall. Later in the afternoon, Ivo arranged another photo shoot with a local Kuker group. But will things go as planned?

Meet the Babugeri of Kolarovo: wild masks, ancient rituals, and a village tradition unlike any other.
✨ Blog story here: tinyurl.com/Babuger

#Babugeri #BulgarianCulture #Tradition

Signs, Surprises, and Strangers Between breakdown and beauty: A winter journey through Kukerland filled with unexpected help, poetic landscapes, and moments that still echo.

New #blog story now live!

A breakdown. A stranger. A quiet valley in winter.
What began as a logistical problem turned into a journey filled with unexpected generosity, breathtaking silence, and soft light over the hills of #Kukerland.

Join me for this winter adventure!

👉 tinyurl.com/bdzf9c6b

#PhotographersUnited

Elevated view over the village of General Todorov, with rooftops, railway tracks, agricultural fields, and mountains in the background.

Sometimes, the unexpected is exactly where the story begins.
One winter day in Bulgaria, a breakdown turned into something much more — and the journey that followed was filled with silence, kindness, and surprises.
✨ New photo story coming soon.
📍 #Kukerland, Southwest Bulgaria

#BulgariaInWinter

Thank you 😊

A Bulgarian Kuker in a striking fur costume and futuristic mask, standing against a vivid blue wall. A portrait that blends ancient tradition with science-fiction flair.

A mask from the past — or a creature from the future? ✨
This Kuker shows how tradition can be timeless and surprising.

👉 Blog link: lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...

Returning to Bulgaria during the winter After a long five-year hiatus due to the worldwide pandemic, I found myself back in Bulgaria, looking forward to another adventure with Ivo Danchev. What would we experience this time? All I knew was ...

Blog: lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...

A Bulgarian Kuker in a striking fur costume and futuristic mask, standing against a vivid blue wall. A portrait that blends ancient tradition with science-fiction flair.

Between earth and sky, where colours burn bright, the Kukeri stand timeless.
This was the first step of my #Kukerland journey — a beginning wrapped in fur, bells, and stories older than memory. Before new chapters unfold this autumn, I want to glance back at where it all began.
Link ⬇️

Kolarovo - Where Boys become Guardians Kolarovo – Where Boys Become Guardians | Kukeri Photo Essay In the Bulgarian village of Kolarovo, a group of boys don masks and fur to become Kukeri—spirit guardians warding off winter. A photographic...

➡️ Read the full article now:
🔗 lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...

#kukeri #babugeri #kolarovo #bulgaria #travelblog #rituals #traditionalculture #documentaryphotography #winterfestivals #mythandmemory #spiritguardians #photostory (4/4)

Kolarovo - Where Boys become Guardians Kolarovo – Where Boys Become Guardians | Kukeri Photo Essay In the Bulgarian village of Kolarovo, a group of boys don masks and fur to become Kukeri—spirit guardians warding off winter. A photographic...

This photo essay captures the transformation, the tension, and the moments between.
It's not just about masks — it’s about what they reveal.
(3/4)

Kolarovo - Where Boys become Guardians Kolarovo – Where Boys Become Guardians | Kukeri Photo Essay In the Bulgarian village of Kolarovo, a group of boys don masks and fur to become Kukeri—spirit guardians warding off winter. A photographic...

Each winter, boys in Kolarovo don goat skins and horned masks, stepping into the centuries-old role of the Babuger — the spirit warrior who protects the village and soul from the forces of cold and chaos. (2/4)

Kolarovo - Where Boys become Guardians Kolarovo – Where Boys Become Guardians | Kukeri Photo Essay In the Bulgarian village of Kolarovo, a group of boys don masks and fur to become Kukeri—spirit guardians warding off winter. A photographic...

🐐 New on the blog: “Kolarovo – Where Boys Become Guardians”

In the snow-dusted landscape of southern Bulgaria, ancient spirits still walk. (1/4)
Link in Comments!

Where Winter Waits and Masks Wake Winter waits in the hills of Bulgaria, where masked spirits awaken in doorways and shadows. A journey through ritual, silence, and storytelling.

I just published another blog post about my visit to Kukerland:

Winter waits in the hills of Bulgaria, where masked spirits awaken in doorways and shadows. A journey through ritual, silence, and storytelling.

lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...

#photoblog

Babugeri of Kolarovo Today, we plan to capture breathtaking landscapes at a nearby waterfall. Later in the afternoon, Ivo arranged another photo shoot with a local Kuker group. But will things go as planned?

I finally published another story of my Visiting Kukerland adventure.
Today, we plan to capture breathtaking landscapes at a nearby waterfall. Later in the afternoon, Ivo arranged another photo shoot with a local Kuker group. But will things go as planned?
lilleulven.smugmug.com/Blog/Bulgari...

Stunning conditions & capture!