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

On the occasion of Bango Vasil

Roma children perform traditional New Year dances in BNR

5
Photo: Ani Petrova

On 14 January, the Roma community in Bulgaria celebrated its most important holiday - Vasilovden or Bango Vasil. To share the traditions of Roma folklore during the celebration of the Roma New Year, as the holiday is also known, children from the school in the village of Graf Ignatievo, Plovdiv region, were guests of BNR.

In front of Studio 1 of Bulgarian National Radio they presented a dance of different ethnic groups and "Gypsy Romance"...
.... told the story of how the Roma came to be and why they honour Bango Vasil (Limping Vasil). Legend has it that the devil destroyed the bridge the Roma were crossing, but St Basil rebuilt it and saved the Roma from drowning...  
...tapped the journalists on the back with a decorated cornel branch to wish them good luck, health and prosperity...

... treated all the guests to a traditional banitsa with lucky charms. 
The children were welcomed by the Director General of the BNR, Milen Mitev. This visit was organised by the Amalipe Centre for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance, which has been working in the field of educational integration for over 20 years.

Text: Desislava Semkovska
Photos: Ani Petrova 


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.

Gallery

More from category

Starting today: Send your letter to Santa Claus in Stara Zagora

From today, residents of Stara Zagora, young and old, can send their letter to Santa Claus.  A letterbox has been set up in the foyer of the city's State Puppet Theatre to collect messages for Father Christmas. The cultural institution guarantees that..

published on 11/16/24 8:30 AM

A beautiful Bulgarian Christmas tree shines again at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

A Christmas tree with Bulgarian decorations has been placed in a central location at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. For the fifth consecutive year, Bulgarians living in Chicago crafted the lavish decoration of the Bulgarian..

updated on 11/16/24 7:10 AM

How much of the Bulgarian cultural heritage in Ukraine has been preserved remains unclear

The usurpation of cultural heritage is one of the many inevitable consequences of any military conflict, both historically and today. Until the end of the war in Ukraine, it is impossible to adequately analyse the extent of the damage caused to the..

published on 11/15/24 12:00 PM