site.btaSinger Nina Nikolina, Musician Kalin Veliov Feel Special Attitude towards Bulgaria, Bulgarian Culture in Japan

There is a feeling of excitement and a special attitude towards Bulgaria and Bulgarian culture in Japan, singer Nina Nikolina and musician Kalin Veliov told BTA on Saturday. The two are in the Japanese city of Osaka, where they will be part of the cultural and musical programme for Bulgaria Day at Expo 2025, which will be celebrated on May 18.

A day before the celebrations, the musicians delighted the visitors of the Bulgarian pavilion with live performances.

"I am very happy and proud because our pavilion is very beautiful and attracts many people. Some people wait for an hour and a half to get in. The competition is also high," said Nikolina about the Bulgarian participation at the exhibition.

"It is very nice that our programme for tomorrow is not only subordinated to folklore. It is always expected that it is folklore music with which we impress foreigners, which is a fact. We also have a classical programme," the singer added.

Veliov argued that the queues in front of the Bulgarian pavilion show the visitors' attitude to Bulgaria's qualities - traditions, spirit and strength.

According to the Bulgarian Embassy in Tokyo, the official programme will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time in the Expo National Day Hall. A rich cultural programme will follow, featuring dancers from the "Trakia" Folklore Ensemble performing traditional dances, multimedia presentations of Church Slavonic chants, opera performances in Bulgarian and Japanese by Maria Slavova, and musical acts by Kalin Veliov, Viktor Nikolaev, the Wladigeroff Brothers, and singer Nina Nikolina.

The celebration will be attended by President Rumen Radev, who is on an official visit to Japan.