The chimerical figures and bestial masks of rural Bulgaria, and remote caves of Northern France and Italy, form the adventurous backdrop to this series by photographer Estelle Hanania, taken from her forthcoming monograph Glacial Jubilé. “Europe is a perfectly non-exotic background to document these traditions,” says Hanania, who embarked on the series after coming across a folk art exhibition in Paris. “They transport you to a surreal dimension, but I like the fact that they happen in very common places.” Taken over the course of five years in more than six countries, and on breaks between commissions for the likes of Opening Ceremony, Maison Martin Margielaand Issey Miyake, the photographs shed light on the lesser-known rituals of local communities: the winter festivals of the Appenzell region of Switzerland and traditional customs of the Basque Country. Known for her sun-faded, incidental approach to photography that embraces the natural world, Hanania was the recipient of the photo prize at the 2006 Hyères Festival. “I hope to immerse people in a particular atmosphere,” she adds. “When fantasy slips into reality.”

Glacial Jubilé is published October 4, 2013.