The Ritual
The rose has always been a symbol of beauty, youth and health. The incomparable aroma, tenderness and extraordinary qualities of this natural gift give you a feeling of luxury and joy.
Bulgaria is one of the few places in the world with perfect conditions for growing oil roses. As early as the 16th century, the development of the production of rose oil began in today's "Rose Valley", and in the 19th century Bulgaria almost took over the global supply of this product. The Rose Valley is mainly formed from the towns of Karlovo and Kazanlak.
Every year the Rose Festival takes place in the last week of May. Early in the morning people head to the many rose fields to start the ''Rozober'' or picking ritual. The rose picking is done by hand and lasts until 12:00 noon at the latest. The flower must be fresh and must not have completely finished flowering in order to retain the aroma and moisture as much as possible. Traditional music and dancing keep the atmosphere. After the rose fields, the festival moves to the center of Karlovo where the chosen Rose Queen greets the guests and opens the festive part. All picked roses are taken to the factory in Karlovo where the process can begin. In order to obtain the invaluable rose oil, according to an old tradition, the rose flowers are mixed with water and heated in distillation chambers according to the principle of double distillation. 
*Did you know? The production of 1kg of rose oil requires an average of 3000-6000kg of rose flowers, depending on the quality of the harvest. And for the production of 1kg of rose water, 1kg of flowers are needed.