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Bulgaria's Gold Rush
DECEMBER 2006
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Rite of Passage
Photograph by Kenneth Garrett
In the eastern foothills of the Balkan Mountains near the Black Sea coast, teenagers in folk costumes perform an ancient fertility rite on the day before Palm Sunday. To bring luck, health, and good harvests, girls of marriageable age sing and dance at their neighbors' homes. When the serenade ends at a nearby river, boys begin to pull them back to the village to complete the ritual circuit. Associated today with the Christian Saint Lazarus, the man Jesus brought back from the dead, this celebration of spring grew from pagan Thracian roots.
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Camera: Nikon D2x
Format: Digital
Lens: 12-14mm Nikkor zoom
Speed and F-Stop: 1/125 @ f/5.6
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Weather Conditions: Cloudy
Time of Day: Afternoon
Lighting Techniques: Available light
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