Festival in Nova Zagora Presents Contemporary Interpretation of Traditional Bulgarian Embroidery

Desislava Toncheva

Shevitsa Embroidery Festival, September 6, 2025 (BTA Photo/Velina Vasileva)

Stara Zagora, Southern Bulgaria,

07.09.2025 13:06

(BTA)

Nova Zagora is hosted the 7th Shevitsa Embroidery Festival on September 6 and 7. The event brought together connoisseurs of Bulgarian traditional embroidery, called “shevitsa” from all over the country and presented both authentic examples of folk art and their contemporary applications in clothing, accessories, and everyday objects.

Stoyanov recalled that in traditional clothing, the most important places for embroidery are the hems, the ends of the sleeves, and the neckline, parts that often remain hidden. “That is why in contemporary clothing, where embroidery is used, it naturally finds meaning with its symbolism, but there the designer has the decision on how to place it,” he explained. Today, embroidery motifs can be seen not only on clothing, but also on jewelry, bags, belts, and even shoes.

“The application can actually be very broad in our time, because everyone who discovers the memory embedded in it begins to feel the connection with their ancestors, with their roots,” Slavyan Stoyanov, organizer of the Embroidery Festival, told BTA.

The rich imagination of contemporary artists finds ways to weave shevitsa embroidery into all kinds of objects, from tablecloths, decorations, and souvenirs to albums, watches, and tapestries with wishes. “You can embroider anything in everyday life, as long as you have the desire, patience, and skill to assemble it,” Stanka Nikolova from Elhovo, who has been doing hand embroidery since she was a child, told a BTA reporter. "In my opinion, embroidery is the easiest part, especially with jewelry and bracelets. It's not that the assembly is difficult, but it is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience. Recently, I started making tapestries with wishes, everyday motifs with messages to families or young girls, because every stitch has meaning. It matters who you are embroidering for. Interest is growing and many people have started to take up this craft."

On the first day of the festival, September 6, visitors saw a review of authentic costumes, folk performances, lectures and a trade exhibition.

The festival continued on Sunday with an Ethno Cardio fitness class in the city garden, a combination of physical activity and traditional Bulgarian rhythms. During the day, new folk ensembles performed on stage, presenting the richness of folk songs and dances from different regions of Bulgaria. For lovers of cultural routes, a photographic walk to two of the oldest churches in the city, St. Petka and the Assumption of the Virgin, was organized.

The programme also includes a competition for contemporary interpretations of embroidery, which will end with a final exhibition in the community center in the village of Zagorci. Along with the main events, there is an Herbal Alley dedicated to healthy lifestyles and natural medicine.

/DT/