Friday, September 4, 2015

International presentation of Ensemble "Dobrudzha" and "Drastar-2012" Chitalishte from Silistra

Participation of Ensemble "Dobrudzha" and Chitalishte "Drustur-2012" in the Summer cultural days in the Municipality of Imathia, Central Macedonia region - 28-30/08/2015 and in the "Balkan square" Art festival in Thessaloniki - 30/09/-01/09/2015, in Greece

The Balkan Square festival is a well known festival of the Municipality of Neapolis and Sykies in Thessaloniki which started in 2000 and runs once a year ever since. Its purpose is to bring the people from the Balkan countries together in order to leave in the past what has separated in the past, Balkan and World Wars and tented to alienate them. The Balkan Square festival runs in the late August and the first week of September every year.
Representatives of the Balkan countries who participate in this festival over the years have proven that through culture, literature, dance, music, singing, arts etc. Balkan people can unite, and bring together their diverse cultures. It is a proof that Balkans can be and is a common home for all of us who can work together to achieve things as we have nothing that separates us.
The spirit of the festival evolves with music, dance, theater, literature, history events that take place and aims to give the message of life, of culture, of brotherhood, friendship and cooperation between the people of the Balkans and especially the young people.
The Balkan Square festival has won the love of the people of Thessaloniki and this is obvious through all these years from the participation in the events that are taking place every year.

Memories from Thessaloniki, Balkan square Festival, 2015
The summer cultural days in Naoussa, Imathia, Greece are organized by the Mayor of the city Mr Karambatzos Tassos. The event is following the end of the famous "Naoussa peaches" harvesting. Naoussa has been proven to be the ideal place of peaches cultivation as the climate and the soil contribute to the special color, rich aroma and to the distinctive taste. An important fact is that the best varieties of peaches, since the recent reconstruction of the varieties, are produced here. Consequently, the peaches which are produced in Naoussa have been recognized as Products with Protective Designation of Origin (P.D.O), and they are unique as they are the only in Greece and of few in Europe with this accreditation. 
  Video from the Naoussa feast prezentation on 28-29/08/2015. 



Sunday, June 21, 2015

National Folk Festival ‘Rozhen 2015′

The Rozhen Festival is held every 4 years in July or August but the last time it was in 2006. That’s why you can’t miss this year’s edition in 17-19 July. The festival attracts traditional singers and musicians from all over Bulgaria. A distinctive symbol of the Rozhen Festival is the orchestra Sto Kaba Gaydi (One Hundred Bagpipes) which is going to melt your heart with the sound of their music. The festival presents the traditional folklore music and dances from the Rhodope region. It is a must-attend event if you want to feel the authentic Rhodope experience.

 This year’s program includes many surprises. The famous folk choir “Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria” will perform the anthem of the Rhodope Mountains “Bela sum, bela, yunache”, followed by the “cosmic” singer Valya Balkanska and her unique performance of “Izlel e Delio haydutin” accompanied with two girl-singers.
Rozhen Festival’s 2015 program includes a folk competition for authentic folklore and ethnic culture, demonstrations of traditional crafts, some ethnographic and museum exhibitions, animals exhibition, traditional mil and meat products from the farm, organic food and drinks exhibition, culinary shows and barbeque, horse activities, folk festivities and fire games as well.
Every 4th year in August, Bulgarians of all over the country gather below the peak of Rozhen (near Smolyan) for a festival, where singers and instrumentalists sing and play on a several scenes.
 

Rozhen fest

The tradition of Rozhen Fest dates back to a hundred years ago. The first Festival was held in 1898. The idea was given by father Angel Indzhov – a priest of the village of Sokolovtsi. He appealed to all his parishioners to honor all the saints of the Rozhen chapels on the day of St. Panteleymon” – the 27 July, near the Chapel “St. Kirik and Yulita”, where the Festival is held to the present day. At those times the border between Bulgaria and the Ottoman empire led through the mount of Rozhen. There gathered the inhabitants of three artificially divided surrounding villages – Progled, in Bulgaria, and Momchilovtsi and Sokolovtsi on the Turkish side of the border. They gathered for family meetings and sang folk songs in the accompaniment of bagpipes, baked the traditional Bulgarian Lamb dish – Whole Lamb on the Fire.
After the year 1912 (liberation of the Rhodope mountain from Ottoman dominion), the Rozhen Fest lost its political meaning, and acquired by chance regarding the borderline, but retained the spirit of tradition, the time and venue, as a forum for the people from the middle Rhodope mountain. More and more family and friendly meetings of the Rhodopeans inside the country were held.
Nowadays a symbol of the festival is the distinctive orchestra called Sto Kaba Gaydi (One Hundred Bagpipes), founded in 1961. The bagpipers, who participate in the orchestra, are from various villages in the Rhodope mountain. They gather on the eve of the festival and make a single joint rehearsal.
The Rozhen festival allows artistic expression of numerous known and unknown performers from the Rhodope mountain. The song Izlel e Delyo Haydutin (Delyo the Haidouk Came Out) originates from Rozhen and was performed by Valya Balkanska, to land on the board of the space station Voyager, along with the music of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.
Over the years the Rozhen Festival became a nationwide singing competition festival for Bulgarian folk music. Folk singers and instrumentalists from all over the country gather to sing and play on the scenes of the biggest festival of folk songs in Bulgaria. The fest lasts for two days. The anthem of the Rhodope is its opening song – Bela Sam, Bela, Yunache (I am White, White, and My Hero) under the accompaniment of One Hundred Bagpipes. The culmination of the competition is the gala show Zvezden Rozhen (Star Rhozen) in the evening of the first day.
 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Rhythm in the gallery

Elegance, beauty, aesthetics and tenderness showed young people from Silistra - the ballet group "Dreamers"

'Rhythm in the gallery' is a project implemented by the informal youth group Dreamers - students from B2 Ballet and Dreaming Ballet headed by Ms. Boriana Kyoseva.

"Dreamers" youth group - students from the "B2" Ballet and "Dreaming"
ballet, Photo: Elena Tcherneva
On May 8, 2015 at the Silistra Art Gallery the Dreamers presented their performance of songs, dances ballet and chamber music on accordion, piano and guitar.The program was filled with the energy of young people, which made us speechless to admire. Energy charge that they disarm and instantly made to fall in love, to suffer, to enjoy, to feelm to live. 

Thank you young people that gave us the opportunity to experience such intense emotions for a lifetime in a few short hours. And - made us feel!

Pictures: Thanks to Elena Cherneva.