site.btaBulgarian Heritage International Forum Draws Participants from Ukraine and Moldova

The Bulgarian Heritage International Forum, which is getting underway in the Black Sea town of Balchik, has attracted participants from Ukraine and Moldova. "The event is aimed to contribute to the preservation of Bulgarian cultural heritage and to provide a platform for painters, dancers and singers who study and popularize Bulgarian traditions worldwide," forum director Marusya Kostova commented exclusively for BG World, a news service of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

The three-day Bulgarian Heritage International Forum begins on Thursday, August 22 with a blessing-of-the-waters ritual and the opening of an exhibition by young Bulgarian artist Aneta Stoyanova at the Melnitsata Tourism, Culture and Information Centre.

This will be followed by a conference on the 200th anniversary of the publication of Petar Beron's Fish Primer, the first book printed in Modern Bulgarian.

An exhibition by Bessarabian Bulgarian Anna Maleshkova opens on Thursday afternoon. The day will be closed with a conference on the ethnology of the Bulgarians.

A folklore competition will be held on Friday, involving groups from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.

The forum will end with a gala on Saturday. Seven groups from Ukraine, one from Romania, eight from Moldova and 10 from Bulgaria will perform during the show.