“A Roman legend tells of the origin of the rose and its red color through the goddesses Diana and Venus. Diana, the goddess of hunting and of the moon had a priestess, Rosalia by name. Rosalia decided to marry the young man Semedor and leave the goddess. Diana, furious about the infidelity of her priestess pierced her body with an arrow. From the spilled blood sprung up bushes with fragrant white flowers named roses after Rosalia. The roses got red from the blood of Venus who pricked herself on the bush while running away from her husband Mars.”

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Can you imagine living in a world where the crystal clear air smells like roses? Can you imagine getting up on a sunny morning and the first thing you see are fields of roses? Can you imagine your whole world being rose scent, romance and ancient secrets? For some people this is the real world and Kazanlak is its name.

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Every year, during the first weekend of June, local community in Kazanlak organizes the annual Rose Festival. Manufacturers from the whole valley gather dressed up in rose flowers. People sing and dance in the streets during the whole fest. Three main events are worth a visit – early morning harvesting ritual in the rose fields, the electing of Queen Rose and the parade along the streets of each town.