Being part of the Rose festival in Kazanlak, Bulgaria, was on my Want-to-do list for some years now.
Luckily i made it finally (a bit last min) there! In the middle of the rose gardens (in Rozowa dolina=Rose valley) and surrounded by great rose aroma, warm sunshine and blue sky I could experience the famous Rose-harvesting ritual. This event usually takes place every last Sunday of the month of May, although it might differ with a week from year to year. Next to some traditional activities and folklore performances one could also view the "real" rose-pickers and carriers...
The rose cultivated in the region around Kazanlak is the so called "Rosa damascena", it was brought to Bugaria from Persia (most probably by the soldiers of Alexander Macedons). Its harvesting is a very difficult process: it can be done only by hand and before sunrise (oil concentration is at its highest at this time of the day only), distillation should take place on the same day. One kilogramm rose oil is gained from THREE tonnes rose blossom!!! Those are just some of the reasons why the rose oil is the most expensive oil in the world. One kilogramm real oil from Rosa damascena costs around 5000 EUR....
