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There is nothing better than fairy tales and the magic of imagination. A little over a year ago, we told you about Petya Petkova and the first Bulgarian school for mermaids, founded by her. Today, Petya is again a guest on Radio Bulgaria to continue the story with an Italian twist, yearned encounters come true, and a Dragon.
Just a few days ago, Petya Petkova returned from Italy, where, together with Maria Yordanova, national free diving record holder and instructor at Petya's school, they represented Bulgaria in the international show "Sirenes -Le fliglie del dragone" in the town of Atrani on the Amalfi Coast.
"The legend says that in the past, a Dragon came down from the mountain, who wanted to combine the power of fire with the power of water to protect people from the Sun, which was ruling over all natural elements. And from the meeting of the Dragon with the sea nymphs, mermaids were born. "Mermaids - Daughters of the Dragon" show began late in the evening with a parade of a 20-meter dragon structure, accompanied by drums and carried by the youth of Atrani, right along the Via dei Dogi - the road under which the Dragone River flows.
"There was a fire show in the square, after which the Dragon continued its way to the beach, the last, perhaps the most curious part for the spectators, was us - the mermaids in the open sea. It really turned out to be a spectacular show, and being part of this fairy tale and bringing it to life in front of people's eyes was surreal," recalls Petya Petkova excitedly.
The show is being played for the second year in a row, but only now is it gaining an international character. The most impressive participants in it - the mermaids, were twenty from as many as eight countries (Australia, Italy, England, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, France and Belgium). For all of them, the main reason to participate in the project was the special guest in the program and choreographer of the part with the Dragon's daughters - the Australian Hannah Fraser, the first professional mermaid in the world known as Hannah Mermaid. For more than 20 years, Hannah has been involved in the development of scuba diving as an artistic activity and sport, gives trainings, participates in underwater photography and various creative projects and is a prominent eco-activist for the protection of the seas.
"Of course, all she showed us was a rehearsal for the show itself at the end of the second day and valuable knowledge about what each of us does in our own country," reveals the Bulgarian mermaid.
"Each one of these girls who were there is trying to develop in her country something that is unknown, different, and that makes her very brave, I would say. We were very colorful, not only in terms of our tails, but also in experience. Some were engaged in water sports such as diving, others had artistic professions. But the thing that made the biggest impression on me is that during these two days, no one was compared to the other. We were all extremely excited about the opportunity to be there, to get to know each other and see who is doing what in other countries, but with the purest curiosity to enrich ourselves."
More than 1,500 people - an audience located on the rocky terraces of the Italian town - witnessed this fairy tale come to life. And despite the blinding light from the spotlights directed into the dark water, Petya Petkova will never forget the children's eyes fixed on her and her sea sisters.
"So many children's faces had fixed their eyes on us and were looking at us from the shore with astonishment, with awe. I just can't imagine for these girls what it must have been like to see a live mermaid walk up to them and start waving at them. One mermaid alone is impressive, and 20 of them is incredibly fabulous.
For Petya, these two days on the Italian coast remain as if taken out of a movie, and if she can repeat it with the greatest pleasure, she will return next year to Atrani again to be the Bulgarian daughter of the Dragon.
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