Beautiful Pictures From Europe's Valley of Roses

Silvia Yonkova picks roses in her family's gardens in Osetenovo, Bulgaria. Rose-picking usually starts at sunrise and wraps up before noon.

Women wearing traditional Bulgarian folk garb pose for pictures of themselves near Buzovgrad, Bulgaria.

Children folk dance in rose fields during the annual festival.

Men dressed as kukeri for the festival finish dancing. The traditional ritualistic dance intends to scare away evil spirits and cold weather, meant to bring good health, a fruitful harvest and happiness to the land.

Rositza Zlankova picks roses near Kazanlak, Bulgaria.

Silvia Yonkova parks her bike in her family's rose gardens in Osetenovo.

A bags of roses in Lema distillery will help produce rose oil, rose water, or souvenirs.

Bags of roses arrive to Lema Distillery in Kazanlak, ready for production.

Marin Stoyanov loads bags of roses into cauldrons at Lema Distillery in Kazanlak.

Elena Todorova and her husband Marin, CEO of Lema Distillery, gather rose oil from the caldrons during the distillation process.

The folk dance ensemble called Bis from Sofia takes a break after performing.

Men and women join hands for a traditional folk dance featuring subtle rhythms and intricate footwork.

Tourists' reflections are seen on a window at the Rose Museum, located in the Park Rose Garden in Kazanlak.

Members of the dance ensemble Zhar, from Kazanlak, perform on stage at the festival in Kazanlak.

Members of the folk ensemble Kocani, from Kocani, Macedonia, prepare to perform on stage during the International Folklore Festival, which is a part of the Rose Festival in Kazanlak, Bulgaria.

The Institute for Roses and Aromatic Plants, a research and agriculture academy in Kazanlak, encourages tourists to the region with cardboard cutouts inviting photo-ops.