site.btaSofia Hosts Folklore Festival Dedicated to Bessarabian Bulgarians Day

Sofia is hosting a three-day folklore festival dedicated to the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians, celebrated on October 29, BulgariaMezi, one of the organizers of the event, said in a Facebook post on Thursday. The festival opened on Friday and will run until October 26 in front of the National Palace of Culture. 

The event will showcase the lifestyle, dances, and songs of Bessarabian Bulgarians, passed down through generations. Each day, a musical programme will run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring artists from Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. In addition to music and dance, the festival will offer a culinary area, a sweets zone, children’s entertainment, and an exhibition area highlighting Bulgarian culture, alongside a daily educational quiz starting at 1 p.m.

On October 24, the Bessarabian folklore programme will be followed by an evening concert of the Macedonia Ensemble. Folk singers Ana-Maria and Zlati Petrov will take the stage on October 25. On October 26, Valya Balkanska and Petar Yanev will close the festival with an evening concert.   

The festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Sofia Municipality, BulgariaMezi, 2E Music, and the Georgi Enchev Foundation.

Who are the Bessarabian Bulgarians?

Bessarabian Bulgarians are a minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine (Odesa Region) and Moldova (Taraclia District).

The first Bulgarians settled in southern Bessarabia at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, at the time of feudal sedition in the Ottoman Empire. Particularly strong waves of emigration emerged after the Russo-Turkish Wars of 1806-1812 and 1828-1829. The settlers originated mainly from the present-day village of Glavan in the Stara Zagora Region, Southern Bulgaria, while many others traced their roots to the western regions of the Bulgarian homeland. 

Approximately 400,000 Bulgarians settled in the principalities of Wallachia, and Bessarabia (modern Moldova and Ukraine). They established colonies, founded the cities of Bolhrad and Comrat, and created 64 villages. The settlers made efforts to preserve their faith, language, traditions, and customs while developing their communities freely.

Bessarabian Bulgarians Day

The Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians was first celebrated in 1938 and commemorates the consecration of the Bolhrad Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration on October 29, 1838, built with the voluntary labour of 10,000 Bulgarian settlers. Designed by renowned Russian architect Avraam Melnikov, the church was consecrated by the Bessarabian Archbishop of Chisinau and Khotyn County, Dmitry Sulima.