site.btaUPDATED International Children’s Festival of Bulgarian Music and Dance BESARAB FOLK Held in Taraclia

The International Children’s Festival of Bulgarian Music and Dance BESARAB FOLK was officially opened on Wednesday at the Stepan Tanov House of Culture in Taraclia, marking the start of the celebrations for the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians.

The event began with an address by Vitaliy Ivanov, Chief Specialist at the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Taraclia District. The festival programme opened with a folk dance performed by children’s dance ensembles participating in the event.

Taraclia District Chair Lazar Dermendzhi welcomed the guests, emphasizing that since 1806 “our ancestors and we, their descendants, have preserved the Bulgarian language, culture, and spirit – far from Bulgaria, yet always with Bulgaria in our hearts.”

He called for a moment of silence in memory of Nikolay Rusev, Nikolay Chervenkov, and Georgi Balabanov - Bulgarians who contributed to preserving Bulgarian culture in Moldovan regions with Bulgarian populations.

BESARAB FOLK aims to preserve and promote Bulgarian folk art, support talented children, and strengthen cultural ties between regions. The program includes performances by soloists and ensembles, folk songs, and instrumental pieces featuring traditional Bulgarian instruments such as the gadulka, tambura, kaval, and bagpipe, said Sergey Berov, Director of the Taraclia District Children’s School of Arts.

The event was attended by Bulgarian and Moldovan representatives, including Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Moldova Maya Dobreva, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev, and Bulgarian folk singer Ilia Lukov.

The festival ended with an award ceremony for the participants. Certificates and medals were awarded in the categories of accordion, folk instruments, folk string instruments, folk wind instruments, vocal art, as well as duets, ensembles, and orchestras. Alexandr Borimecicov, Director of the Association for the Development of the Bulgarian Community in Moldova and Administrative Director of the Ruse University branch in Taraclia, presented the big award. "Today we concluded a wonderful festival, which was organized for the second time in Taraclia, the centre of Bulgarians in Moldova. With such girls and boys who carry Bulgaria in their hearts, together with their teachers, we will achieve even greater success. I believe that next year even more groups will participate," he said.

Earlier in the day, the celebrations for the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians, traditionally observed on October 29, began in Taraclia with a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to General Ivan Inzov, the protector of the Bessarabian Bulgarians.