Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 19, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleHundreds gather at Bulgaria's Kidney Lake for the Divine New Year, celebrating with the Universal White Brotherhood to connect with cosmic energy.
RILA MOUNTAIN, Bulgaria (Reuters) -Hundreds of people, barefoot and dressed in white, braved cold temperatures and fog near Bulgaria's Kidney Lake 2,280 metres (7,480 feet) above sea level for an annual celebration of divine new year.
They are followers of the Universal White Brotherhood, which combines a form of Christianity with Indian mysticism.
Set up by Bulgarian spiritual teacher Peter Deunov in the 1920s, the society aims to help devotees link with cosmic energy.
Pascale, a 70-year old former air stewardess from France, has been attending the new year ritual, which lasts for three days, since 2015.
"For me its like rejuvenation," she said. I would never miss this place for anything. Maybe an earthquake could stop me coming but even (that), not sure."
The society's name does not refer to ethnicity or race but to light and purity of the soul and the belief that all people can live in harmony, followers say.
"There are people who go to protest, other people, in other ways, demonstrate their civil rights," Temenuga Petkova-Staykova, a teacher said.
"I say to myself - this (here) will be my civic service, in this way, I can give the world my energy to make it a better and more beautiful world."
(Reporting by Spasiyana Sergieva; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; editing by Barbara Lewis)
The Universal White Brotherhood is a spiritual movement founded by Bulgarian teacher Peter Deunov in the 1920s, combining elements of Christianity and Indian mysticism to help followers connect with cosmic energy.
The Divine New Year is an annual celebration observed by followers of the Universal White Brotherhood, marked by rituals aimed at rejuvenation and spiritual connection, typically held at Kidney Lake in Bulgaria.
Cosmic energy refers to the universal life force that some spiritual traditions believe connects all living beings and can be harnessed for personal growth and healing.
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