July Morning
We're at the Black Sea coast on the last night of June. Everything is building up to the sunrise. This is Bulgaria’s ‘July Morning’ observance - somewhere between a counter-cultural musical festival, and a secular pilgrimage marking the start of July. It revolves around reaching the coast in time to meet July’s first sunrise. This celebration has an unlikely origin story - a 1971 song, also called July Morning, by English rock band Uriah Heep.
With thanks to Kmetal Tsonko Tsonev, Alex Boreva, Katie Revell, Andrea Morán and Cicely Fell.
Producer: Carys Wall
Executive producer: Dave Howard
Sound designer: Jonathan Webb
A Bespoken Media Scotland Production
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(Photo: Inga Persson. Credit: Inga Persson)
Producer: Maddy Savage
A Bespoken Media production for BBC World Service.
Click here to listen.