site.btaKarakachani to Gather for Their 30th National Convention in Karandila

The Federation of Karakachani Culture and Education Societies in Bulgaria is organizing the 30th National Karakachani Convention in Karandila, a mountainous area north of the town of Sliven. The convention will be held on August 26.

The Karakachani are an ethnic Greek community who were traditionally nomadic shepherds, native to Greece, with a smaller presence in neighbouring Bulgaria, southern Albania and North Macedonia. Most of them have abandoned the nomadic way of life and have been urbanized. There are 20,000 Karakachani in Bulgaria, and 6,000 of them live in Sliven Region. Their federation represents 20 societies.

In 2020, the Karakachani Convention in Karandila was called off amid the COVID pandemic, and in 2022 it was cancelled after the sudden death of Federation President Hristo Hristov.

The upcoming edition will begin with a blessing of the waters in front of Miroglio Hut in Karandila. There will be performances by folk dance acts from Bulgaria and Greece. The choir of the Odessos Bulgarian-Greek Association, based in the Black Sea city of Varna, and the Sliven Folk Song and Dance Ensemble will be special guests. The convention will end in the evening with a traditional karakachan party with live music, known as glendi.

Every year in August, the convention brings thousands of Karakachani to Karandila, where they present their traditions, music, dances and lifestyle.