“From Ignazhden (St. Ignatius Day) till Christmas labored the Mother of God, to bear a child, the young God,” goes one of the most popular Christmas songs in Bulgarian folklore tradition, a song with innumerable versions in different parts of the country. It is performed starting on Ignazhden, 20 December till the early hours of Christmas on 25 December. They say Ignazhden marks the start of the Christmas holidays because that was when Mary’s birth pangs began.

From Ignazhden till Christmas – this is also the title of a festive concert taking place in Sofia on Ignazhden when audiences will be able to hear the delightful songs of two celebrated pop singers – Vanya Kostova and Boyan Mihailov, among them the song mentioned above and many, many more, songs about kindness, love and the miracle of nativity.

“Christmas is my favourite time of year, along with Easter, of course,’ says Vanya Kostova. “The Christmas spirit must be with us always, we mustn’t wait for the day of St. Ignatius to come along. That is why the selection of songs we made together with Boyan, are all about Christmas but also about human virtues like kindness, generosity, compassion. For example, the lyrics of the song “Giving is love” by poetess Nadezhda Zaharieva go like this: Helping is love, giving is love. To the hungry man –hope, to the man who has eaten – a dream…”

Vanya Kostova is one of the best-loved pop singers in Bulgaria. At the beginning of the 1980s she was soloist of the Tonica – SV band. Six years later she branched out on her own and 1987 saw the release of her first solo album. It is difficult to say how many years mother and son have performed on stage together, but for quite some time they have each been soloist and member of the duo on stage:

Some of the songs lined up for the From Ignazhden till Christmas concert were written in recent years, but the two will also sing Vanya Kostova’s golden hits, arranged for a duo. The concert in Sofia is just one in a series of events Vanya Kostova and Boyan Mihailov will be dedicating to the festive season. On 20 December they will be performing with guest musicians Stefan Vrachev (pianist at the Sofia Philharmonic) and Kostadin Atanasov (bagpiper at the Philip Koutev National Folklore Ensemble).

The audio features the following songs:

- Thus labored the Mother of God, performed by Vanya Kostova;

- Giving is love, performed by Vanya Kostova and Boyan Mihailov;

- Let Bulgaria warm your hearts, performed by Vanya Kostova, feat. Indigo band;

- Hallelujah, performed by Vanya Kostova, feat. Pim-Pam children’s vocal group;

English version: Milena Daynova