The 10th Pumpkin Festival took place in Gorski Izvor, a village in Dimitrovgrad municipality. Village mayor Angel Georgiev told BTA that this year's harvest was very good.
He estimates that local farmers have put about 300 tonnes of pumpkins on the market. Piles of pumpkins stand every few metres in front of houses and in yards. The village is seen as one of the biggest pumpkin producers in Bulgaria.
The programme began with a contest for the biggest pumpkin. A local grower had the heaviest white pumpkin, at 37.3 kg. In the "violin" variety, another local grower won with a 28.3 kg pumpkin.
The cooking show drew local housewives, as well as cooks of dishes and specialities from nearby villages. One of the housewives cooked rachel, a pumpkin sweet, on the spot. In front of the "Probuda 1896" chitalishte (community cultural centre), amateur singing and dance groups from chitalishte across the municipality performed on stage. Dozens of residents and guests came to the festival.
Money from the dishes, jam and pumpkin pastries sold will go towards repairing and restoring the "Holy Spirit" chapel near the village, which is 100 years old.