Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Rozhen National Folklore Fair 2015

БНР Новини
Photo: Albena Bezovska

The Rozhen National Folklore Fair 2015 gathered over 8,000 performers, 315 singing bands, 25 folklore ensembles and the applause of some 350,000 spectators, after 9 years of interruption. Most of the guests were Bulgarians, though one could hear Greek, Romanian, English, French and Russian across the meadows. The event has covered a long distance from the traditional clan gathering, devoted to ancient cult spots to what’s today a Fair of Folklore Arts and Stock Breeding. We will tell you a part of this story, we will meet you with people from the audience and some of the performers, you will listen to Rhodope music. The original recordings fроm the fair will be on air in a week.


“The place is emblematic for the Rhodope and the entire Balkan Peninsula,” says Director of Smolyan’s Regional Historical Museum Tanya Mareva. “Anyone in that mountain has somehow deified it. The 110 ha of the Rozhen Meadows are the watershed between the Maritsa and Arda rivers. Several cult spots were formed here in the 19th c., visited on the respective dates of major Christian holidays. After 1898 father Angel Indjov, now known as the founder of the Rozhen Fair proposed the gathering to take place on the same date each year – the day of St. Pantaleon. We definitely know that the fair was a great event in 1904, visited by many. The fair marked a new beginning in 1961, with a regional folklore singing contest for the entire Rhodope folklore area…”

Veselina Babadjankova who has participated in the event for years and is now the host of one of the official programs says that the first thing she has ever done at Rozhen is to stop and listen to the crickets in the morning.

“These are my Rhodope roots and childhood memories here,” Veselina says. “Our grandparents used to gather and to take off to Rozhen with big wagons for the entire village. It was here that I heard so many singers with so many bagpipes for a first time. I see this fair as the pride of my mountain that lives with the Bulgarian spirit - the chain dance, the folk song and the beautiful clothing.”

“I know the traditions of Bulgaria,” says a 10-year-old Bulgarian, born in Madrid, who sings folk songs along with his father. There were many other Bulgarians, residing abroad at Rozhen 2015, along with lots of foreigners.

One of them – Gyorgy Stuber is a great fan of the Bulgarian bagpipe. He bought a CD with Rhodope folk music some time ago and that was the beginning of a long story.

“I was stunned to hear music that resembled the Hungarian and was so close to my heart. I visited the Rhodope at least 20 times afterwards, looking for elderly women and recording songs. I learnt thelow-pitched bagpipe. I have many friends in Bulgaria now, I really like your country. I have my own theory on the common roots of the Hungarian, Rhodope and Chuvash music tradition.”

There were many young folk fans at the tent camp of the event. Svetoslav is from Sofia’s academy of film art and his occupation now is video processing.
Ivan, Aleidin, Plamena and Svetoslav

“Facebook told me about the festival. Free music and dances from all folklore regions can be heard and seen here. I was a bit ashamed of not knowing any chain dance – I will look for a dancing club when I get back to Sofia.”

“I think that young people have no touch to our real culture,” says Plamena, a student from Plovdiv. “We rarely listen to authentic folklore on the radio with its real charge and the joy it brings. I dive in authentic traditions here.”

Aleidin Aliev is from the town of Sevlievo and he works as a club dancer in Plovdiv.

“I came here to touch what’s Bulgarian, what thrills us and makes us happy. I think folklore should preserve its authentic image, in order to stay real.”

Ship engineer Ivan comes from Burgas:

“I was in London and I read there that the fair would be restored – then I organized my friends. I am a real fan of Bulgarian folklore and I see our dances as the greatest thing ever.”

The singing part of the Rozhen Fair is a contest on four stages. Renown art people from the area were the jury. Daniel Pichot, the founder of the Solidarity France – Bulgaria society received two more awards, which went to the oldest and the youngest bagpipers at the gathering – 86-year-old Ilia Kadiev from the 100 Low-pitched Bagpipes Ensemble and 5-year-old Kostadin Margaritov.

Over 400 low-pitched bagpipes unveiled the fair, the participants also took part in the concert program. We will end up the show with a recording of the 100 Low-pitched Bagpipes Ensemble, hoping that we have managed to get you a bit closer to the Rozhen 2015 atmosphere.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

Photos: Albena Bezovska, BTA



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Embroidery festival presents the traditions of this craft in the village of Vardim

A three-day embroidery festival takes place in the square of the village of Vardim near Svishtov, the organizers reported. At its core, the festival promotes a particularly colorful part of our lifestyle and traditions -..

published on 7/27/24 8:45 AM

Ribaritsa hosts folklore festival

Fans of Bulgarian folklore are getting together in the village of Ribaritsa near Teteven on 20 and 21 July for the 3 rd national festival and the 16 th edition of the festival of folklore of national customs and authentic traditional costumes in a..

published on 7/20/24 8:55 AM

Participants of the International Folklore Festival in Veliko Tarnovo will go on parade

Nearly 340 participants from countries on different continents will take the stage at the Summer Theatre in Marno Pole Park in Veliko Tarnovo to present the their folklore traditions.  The start is today, 20 July, when the traditional..

published on 7/20/24 6:15 AM