Sofia is hosting a three-day folklore festival dedicated to the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians, celebrated on October 29, BulgariaMezi, one of the organizers of the event, said in a Facebook post on Thursday. The festival opened on Friday and will run until October 26 in front of the National Palace of Culture.
The event will showcase the lifestyle, dances, and songs of Bessarabian Bulgarians, passed down through generations. Each day, a musical programme will run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring artists from Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. In addition to music and dance, the festival will offer a culinary area, a sweets zone, children’s entertainment, and an exhibition area highlighting Bulgarian culture, alongside a daily educational quiz starting at 1 p.m.
On October 24, the Bessarabian folklore programme will be followed by an evening concert of the Macedonia Ensemble. Folk singers Ana-Maria and Zlati Petrov will take the stage on October 25. On October 26, Valya Balkanska and Petar Yanev will close the festival with an evening concert.
The festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Sofia Municipality, BulgariaMezi, 2E Music, and the Georgi Enchev Foundation.
Who are the Bessarabian Bulgarians?
Bessarabian Bulgarians are a minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine (Odesa Region) and Moldova (Taraclia District).
The first Bulgarians settled in southern Bessarabia at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, at the time of feudal sedition in the Ottoman Empire. Particularly strong waves of emigration emerged after the Russo-Turkish Wars of 1806-1812 and 1828-1829. The settlers originated mainly from the present-day village of Glavan in the Stara Zagora Region, Southern Bulgaria, while many others traced their roots to the western regions of the Bulgarian homeland.
Approximately 400,000 Bulgarians settled in the principalities of Wallachia, and Bessarabia (modern Moldova and Ukraine). They established colonies, founded the cities of Bolhrad and Comrat, and created 64 villages. The settlers made efforts to preserve their faith, language, traditions, and customs while developing their communities freely.
Bessarabian Bulgarians Day
The Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians was first celebrated in 1938 and commemorates the consecration of the Bolhrad Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration on October 29, 1838, built with the voluntary labour of 10,000 Bulgarian settlers. Designed by renowned Russian architect Avraam Melnikov, the church was consecrated by the Bessarabian Archbishop of Chisinau and Khotyn County, Dmitry Sulima. Sofia Hosts Folklore Festival Dedicated to Bessarabian Bulgarians Day THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-10-24 18:13:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
