Cultural Heritage - page 2

FOLKLORE REGION MOESIA This folklore region encompasses Central Northern Bulgaria as well as the western parts of the country. The local folklore is a mixture as a result of the migrations to the Balkan mountains. After the Independence there was a reverse movement back to the plains, where people from the north mixed with the original inhabitants as well as with vast groups of people from Thrace. Here one can find unique to this area pentatonic songs, old wedding songs, harvest songs with specific whoops, etc. As to Northwest Bulgaria, the dancing is extremely easy and in small steps, but in the characteristic "sh ... more

FOLKLORE REGION PIRIN Pirin takes your breath away, not only with its high peaks and unfathomable beauty, but also with its irresistible charm and unpredictability. This is also reflected in the folklore of the region. Characteristic of this area are the two-part songs which reflect the fighting spirit of the local people. But the wind blows from the Pirin Mountain and an alert woman's voice resounds. Another one catches up, and fused into a two-voice melody they fly to the high mountain peaks, resound by the side of the laden tables and during working bees, they quiver during harvest time. The vivacious songs of t ... more

FOLKLORE REGION SHOPLUK The people of this area are distinct in terms of customs and habits, temperament and dialect. The folklore reflects the character of the Shopi: bantering, witty, and resourceful. Two-part songs are present in all genres. The local folklore is not very rich in emotions and diverse in melody but what is impressive is its creativity and resourcefulness. The violent and temperamental 'Shops' [the local population of Sofia Region] can always surprise you with their songs. They ring sharply and piercingly and precisely when you think the song has ended comes that unexpected and very effective call- ... more

FOLKLORE FESTIVALS Recently the Bulgarians have developed yet another cultural festival referred to as a Sabor or a folklore festival, which is a celebration of the Bulgarian spirit. It preserves and maintains the authentic Bulgarian traditions and folklore in our modern busy, dynamic, and globalizing lives. There has been a growing interest in traditional music, songs, dances and poetry. Every year various groups from all over Bulgaria take part in these festivals and show that Bulgarian people drink from the spring of life where values have been preserved and this supplies them with strength and national prid ... more

KOPRIVSHTITSA NATIONAL SABOR Koprivshtitsa and its history, the heroic past of its people and the beauty of the Sredna Gora mountains are a source of patriotism and a creative impulse. This place has preserved its language, songs and customs. Under its sunny sky and round the corner of its houses, built in the style of the National Revival period, one can feel the primordial power of the Bulgarians, their unquenchable thirst for freedom. This rebellious town is situated in the heart of the Sredna Gora, the mountains that sheltered the Hayduti, the Bulgarian freedom fighters, during the fight for Independence. It is only n ... more

THE ROZHEN FESTIVAL •The Song of the Rhodopes•The sound of the name "Rhodopes" evokes various feelings and attitudes. High up there the sky touches the land, caresses the peaks and listens to the crystal clear tunes of the Rhodope people. The Rozhen meadows are the place where we start our trip back in time to the start, where we hear the call of our forefathers. Rozhen has kept the memory of Orpheus, Momchil the Brave, Angel the Rebel, of our forefathers. It is the place of an endless tune; in the mountains after the baby's initial breath of air and its mother's milk comes the song. In 1898, Angel In ... more

PIRIN SINGS This festival is among the most significant cultural events in Bulgaria. It was founded in 1962 and has achieved remarkable results in tracking, resurrecting and preserving Bulgarian folklore heritage. It captures the minds of all folk wisdom lovers and gathers a motley group of excellent performers of different generations, young and old, connoisseurs and researchers of the Bulgarian folkloric and ethnographic tradition. The Pirin Sings festival is an embodiment of the search for eternal beauty, of folklore aesthetics, of an art full of patriotism and adoration of the native tradition.The fes ... more

THE LIVING HUMAN TREASURES OF BULGARIA For many nationalities their cultural heritage is the major source of their identity and is closely related to their history. Unfortunately a large number of cultural expressions of this heritage such as music, dance, poetry, ritual, gatherings or festivals are disappearing. On the one hand, this is a consequence of an aggressive globalized international culture connected with the development of technology and information, and on the other hand it is due to the vulnerability of a national cultural heritage, fragile and transitory, existing only at the moment of performance or transfer of skil ... more

THE BISTRITSA BABI The Bistritsa Babi are extremely famous elderly women from the village of Bistritsa who have become well known for their performances of ancient polyphonic folk songs from the Shopluk area. Their names are Krema Gyoreva, Tsvetanka Tsenkova, Evdokiya Batlachka, Gerginka Vayova, Sevda Gergova, Aneta Galeva, Nadezhda Pashaliyska, Galina Taneva and their manager Dina Koleva. In 2005 the Bistritsa Babi were proclaimed part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Their songs are characterized by archaic polyphony, dances and rituals from the Shopluk area. Diaphony, also known as shoppe ... more

NESTINARSTVO Nestinarstvo is an ancient ritual of barefooted dancing on smouldering embers. Only the village of Bulgari has preserved this ritual in its original form. In the past the Nestinarstvo was practiced in the neighbouring villages of Brodilovo and Kosti, as well as in Gramatikovo, Slivarovo and Kondolovo. This custom was also widespread in neighbouring Greece, where the Nestinarstvo was practiced in the areas populated at the beginning of the 20th century by refugees from Strandzha; the village of Karakavak (Mavrolevki) in the Drama region, Butkovo (Kerkini) and Kakaraska (Agia Eleni) in the Seres ... more

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