After many foreigners have bought property in villages across Bulgaria rather than in cities, we Bulgarians seem to be catching onto how fortunate we are to have such a wealth of traditions and have been trying to preserve it. However, the efforts to preserve this treasure-trove of the authentic Bulgarian spirit and traditions are actually being made by enthusiasts, rather than by the state. Frequently they are young people determined to escape city life and to strengthen their bond with nature. Some unorthodox ideas have come up. One of them is to revive depopulated villages by… having IT specialists settle there.

One initiative – Take me in your village – whose author is Veronica Yossifova from Gabrovo has grown especially popular. The idea is for older people living in villages to welcome young city people into their homes, the aim being to narrow the gap between the generations and to help hand down traditions, customs and values. The idea came to light during the national essay competition My ideas for Bulgaria, 2013 and was put into effect last summer, with the assistance of Gabrovo municipality. The pioneers in this endeavour were “foster” grandparents from the village of Novakovtsi near Gabrovo; there were quite a few “foster” grandchildren too. Last year, there were no more than a dozen enthusiasts, this year their number if over 70. But only 30 or so will be lucky enough to spend five days in a village at the end of August and the beginning of September. The requirement is that they should be aged between 15 and 29, and have the necessary motivation but these are the only criteria. Here is Veronica Yossifova with more:

“We, young people are keen to find out what life is like in villages. We sense there is something missing in our lives and we want to learn how fruit and vegetables are grown or animals bred, for example. We want to hear the stories old people have to tell about their younger years. And when I listen to their stories, I find myself imagining what my own life would have been like all those years ago. We find all this interesting because, unfortunately it is something that we are so far removed from. Many young people do not have grandparents or property in villages where they could go and spend their summer holidays, we only have the stories of our parents who tell us how wonderful life in the village is.”

This year more villages will join the initiative. Besides Novakovtsi, where the project was launched, Stoevtsi and Bogatovo are now part of the project after they joined the Foster Villages network. The project is being implemented under Gabrovo Municipality’s Culture programme. A few days ago it received a certificate at the Proculture 2014 annual awards of the Bulgarian Association of Employers in the Sphere of Culture. “Foster” grandparents in Zaya village near Dryanovo and in Baikal on the Danube will also open their homes to young people.

“Every village will show their “grandkids” the things that are typical of their part of the country,” Veronica says. “They will be able to learn how to make fishing nets and fish on the Danube. Their “grandparents” will offer them traditional local food and show them how to make hominy or how to cook fish. Zaya is well-known for rabbit breeding. So there, the prospective “grandchildren” will be younger; they will learn how to look after the bunny-rabbits. There will also be other surprises but the locals prefer to keep them a secret so as to be able to surprise their “grandchildren” with something new every day.”

Young people will also be able to come in contact with the wealth of Bulgarian folklore, learn how to sing and dance and take part in the reenactment of different rural traditions and rituals. One of the most popular things last year was the regional cooking traditions.

“The grannies put in a lot of effort, they showed us their secrets in cookery,” Veronica says. “One of the most comic moments when we were milking a goat. We also learnt how to cut maize, how to hoe and water the garden. That is what village life is about. Our idea was, on the one hand, to acquire a certain kind of skills and on the other to help the old people cope with their chores. I think we can help each other and it was a very pleasant experience exchanging ideas, culture, values with another generation. And to be truthful, it is not as different a generation as we would have thought.”

English: Milena Daynova