Several hundred people, mostly foreigners from several countries, have been camping by the Mavrovo Lake near the village of Leunovo for several days, lighting campfires and performing their own rituals. The group, known as Rainbow Gatherings, traditionally holds multi-day gatherings in various locations around the world, promoting the ideals of the former hippie movement in a modern setting, where people camp outdoors in nature and gather around fires, cook and socialize.
The local population has reacted that, at the height of the forest fire season, only twenty days after the Government issued a ban on movement through the forests in the country precisely because of the increased danger of burning the dry vegetation due to the high temperatures, the police and the authorities from the Mavrovo National Park tolerate it this gathering and the lighting of fires on the private property of citizens who did not give their consent.
