Chelopech is located not far from Sofia, amid the beautiful scenery of the Sredna Gora Mountain. The village is famous for the largest copper-gold-pyrite deposit in Europe and the beautiful park Korminesh where an annual folk fair is held. Nearby are the towns of Zlatitsa and Pirdop and twenty kilometers from there is the museum town Koprivshtitsa. Several groups in the vicinity have been preserving the rich song and dance tradition of this region. They are hosts also of the First International Folklore Festival "Gold Dust", which drew groups from Mexico, India, Georgia and Bulgaria. The forum was opened on July 30 and continued until August 2.

“One hundred lives I will turn into one and will fall like a grain in your land" - this is an excerpt from a poem by Haralampi Haralampiev dedicated to Chelopech. The Bulgarian poet is among the most famous people born in the village, which today has about 2,500 inhabitants. Mayor Alexi Kesyakov, a descendant of an ancient Koprivshtitsa family, is convinced that along with material possessions, his team must provide a rich cultural life for the people of Chelopech. And traditional songs and dances are among the favourite arts here.

"Folklore is the real carrier of our national identity”, says Mr. Kesyakov. “Every patriotic Bulgarian should contribute to its preservation. It is known that millions of foreigners around the world admire our national songs and dances. Therefore in the program of Gold Dust festival we have included professional and amateur groups from this country. And the performances of foreign artists are a gift to the audience and a good way to learn about different cultures. With the festival we want to contribute to the development of tourism in our area, as we would like this to become a major source of revenue in the future. "

The preparation for the international event included the construction of a magnificent stage. A little unusual for Bulgaria, the seats for the audience are placed in tiers where there are boxes with wooden tables and benches. The idea is to combine the events in the part with a time of recreation for the whole family.

Artistic Director of the festival is Mrs. Margarita Bogdanova – municipal councillor and a true enthusiast.

"Last year we were invited by Mr. Emil Pavlov - President of the National Section of CIOFF (International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals) to attend the largest international folk festival in Veliko Tarnovo. This beauty, these colours have given birth to a dream - to carry them in our native village. Now happily we emphasize that there is no such international forum of this magnitude in the area. We are grateful to Mr. Paul for the inclusion of our festival in the CIOFF calendar and for the help that we had. Groups from Mexico and India were invited to Bulgaria for traditional events under the auspices of the international organization. Only the group of Georgia arrived especially for its participation in "Gold Dust." Someone might say that such an event is beyond the power of such a small community. But the assessment of the participants and experts proves otherwise. I am confident that we are on the right track and will cope in the future."

Let's hear what the story of Jessica Navarro, founder and leader of the group ViDanza from Mexico, one of the participants in the festival:

"Our formation is two years old. I am the founder and leader and for me ViDanza is something very valuable. I created it with the help of my colleagues - young dancers and musicians to present the folklore of our country. We are from Veracruz - Kόrdoba but we have included in our repertoire attractive specimens of the folklore of other areas in Mexico. We have had concerts only in our country. This is our first tour abroad. We met wonderful people at the festival in Veliko Tarnovo and our concerts in other cities. It is wonderful Chelopech is wonderful and we enjoy the new friendships."

Here are the words of the man who in festival days in Veliko Tarnovo and Chelopech everyone called a “guru”:

“My name is Ningthoujam Nabachandra Singh, head of the Thoibi Manipuri Dance and Cultural Research Institute in India. Our staff brings together about 200 people, but in Bulgaria only ten arrived. For the first time, we are in your country, we participated in several festivals of CIOFF, gave a concert in Razgrad and Koprivshtitsa. To me, such events are very important because they show how close the traditions of different peoples really are. However different in appearance we might be, we all share a sun and a sky, let’s not forget that."

English Rossitsa Petcova