The annual Bulgarian rose festival continues until June 8 in Kazanluk.

Throughout the week, a programme of folklore performances, art exhibitions, ceremonies, bazaars and football tournaments dedicated to that aromatic blossom will be held in the south-central Bulgarian town, all open to the public.

On Friday June 6 2008, The Sofia Echo is publishing a special featured dedicated to tourism opportunities in Kazanluk.

The annual festival draws visitors from around the world, who come to the Rozova Dolina (Valley of the Roses) to watch the koukeri (traditional Bulgarian mummers) perform, to dance the horo and to see the pageant to select the Rose Queen.

The first festival was held in Kazanluk in 1903, co-inciding with the annual late-spring harvest of the roses for their aromatic oils, which are used in the production of perfumes, soaps, jams, liqueurs and the culinary rose water. A similar event was held in Karlovo a few years later. The Festival of Roses turned national in 1967 and since then, its popularity has only continued to increase.

The Kazanluk rose (Rosa damascena) is a hybrid thought to be brought to Europe from Persia by the crusader Robert de Brie in the mid-13th century.

In the 16th century, the rose was brought to Bulgaria and Turkey by Ottoman merchants for cultivation. Until the end of World War 2, Bulgarian rose oil nearly dominated the world market.