Bessarabian Bulgarians’ Day Celebrated in Taraclia

Dimitrina Solakova, Valeria Skorich, Yoanna Vodenova, Simona-Alex Mihaleva

Award ceremony of the BESARAB FOLK Taraclia 2025 festival in Taraclia, Moldova, October 29, 2025 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kassabov)

Taraclia, Moldova,

29.10.2025 18:11

(BTA)

The celebrations of the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians began on Wednesday in Taraclia, the centre of the Bulgarian community in Moldova. The day is traditionally marked on October 29. Events dedicated to the Day will be held until November 1 across Odesa and the region.

The celebrations began with a ceremony of laying flowers at the monument to General Ivan Inzov, the protector of the Bessarabian Bulgarians. Event host Vitaliy Ivanov, Chief Specialist at the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Taraclia District, recalled that in the early 19th century, General Inzov became the chief guardian of the Bessarabian settlers. Under his patronage, thousands of Bulgarians found a new home and land in Bessarabia, as well as the opportunity to preserve their faith, language, and culture freely.

After the official speeches, guests laid flowers at the monument to General Inzov and were then invited to the auditorium of the Stepan Tanov House of Culture for the opening of the Second International Festival of Children’s Folk Art BESARAB FOLK Taraclia 2025.

The International Children’s Festival of Bulgarian Music and Dance BESARAB FOLK opened with a folk dance performed by children’s dance ensembles. There were addresses by Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Moldova Maya Dobreva, Moldovan representatives, and BTA Director General Kiril Valchev. Folk singer Ilia Lukov greeted the audience with a performance of "Hubava si, moya goro" (“Beautiful Forest of Mine”). The programme featured both solo and group performances of traditional Bulgarian folk music and dance.

Taraclia District Chair Lazar Dermenzhi 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.

Ambassador Dobreva said that educational institutions offering instruction in Bulgarian and cultural centres are bridges not only between states but also between hearts. In her address, Dobreva said: “Dear compatriots, the future of the Bulgarian community in Moldova depends on you – on your faith in yourselves, on your unity, and on the love you pass on to your children. Continue to speak the Bulgarian language, to sing our songs, to celebrate Bulgarian holidays, and to preserve our traditions.” After her speech, Ambassador Dobreva presented awards to Moldovan citizens for their outstanding contributions to the Bulgarian community and their efforts to preserve Bulgarian cultural identity.

BTA Director General Valchev congratulated the Bulgarian community in Taraclia on the occasion of the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians, calling it "a celebration for all Bulgarians". He noted that since 2017, when BTA opened its National Press Club there, the agency has published a total of 1,541 news stories from Taraclia. "Today, all of us in Bulgaria are Bessarabian Bulgarians. We owe Bulgaria’s freedom, proclaimed by Alexander Malinov in 1886, to Bessarabian Bulgarians. We also owe the founding of Bulgaria’s first university, St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, to a Bessarabian Bulgarian," Valchev said. “Thanks to BTA, people in Bulgaria know a lot about you here.”

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, said that "the mission of the Bessarabian Bulgarians continues today with the Bulgarian community here, in the heart of the Bulgarians in Moldova – Taraclia". Borimecicov praised the local educators for preserving Bulgarian culture and noted that the festival, held for the second year, brings together talented young performers. "What they show today will be passed on into the future – that is what makes us true Bulgarians," he said.

Moldovan officials, too, congratulated the Bulgarian community on the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians. Among the speakers were Moldovan MP Natalia Dаvidovich, State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Vladimir Vornic, and Vyacheslav Ryabchinski, Director of the Agency for Interethnic Relations. Ryabchinski announced that the Agency for Interethnic Relations donated a set of traditional Bulgarian costume accessories to Taraclia’s Department of Culture as a gesture of respect for the heritage of the Bessarabian Bulgarians.

BESARAB FOLK 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. Borimecicov presented the grand prize.

/DS/