Bulgarian Folklore Research Articles

Bulgarian Folklore in the Reading Books for the First and Second Grades (with First Circulation 2016 – 2017)

The article presents part of the results of a research activity carried out under the project “SUMMIT – Research, testing and analysis of the implementation of innovative approaches in the education of students and pupils from 1st to 4th grades – Part I”. The goal is for students to be prepared methodically and correctly to develop the topics related to studying/teaching works from Bulgarian folklore, included in the 27 alternative reading books from first to fourth grade, through which the “Literary Education” component is realized. Tables No. to No. 14 show the number and titles of texts from Bulgarian (and foreign) folklore that are included in the analyzed 15 reading books for first and second grade. The relative share of works from Bulgarian folklore, compared to the total number of studied works, as well as texts that are present in more than one reading book, is highlighted.

The Phenomenon of “Crossover” and Cross-Cultural Dialogue in Bulgarian Music in 20th Century

The phenomenon of “crossover” gained particular importance in numerous domains of public life, particularly in the exciting realm of art, during the twentieth century. When used to represent an “intersection” or “crossing,” it symbolises the internal need for conversation and purposeful intention for infiltration and implantation. It emphatically refuses to be isolated within the boundaries of the regional canon but allows for freedom of choice in the global context, opposes imitation and tracing, and provides a unique image for every creator. The “crossover” discourse showcases the autonomy of individual authors and results in the creation of distinct works that are characterized by their individuality. Bulgaria's musical creativity in the latter half of the 20th century is a remarkably diverse and profound display, characterized by intricate symbolism. It encompasses both elements of national tradition and expressions of global modernity, evident in its stylistic features, genre distinctions, and ethnocultural attributes. The crossover actually forms the European way of thinking of the Bulgarian creator, embodied in a peculiar part of his genetic code. Crossover dialogue gives rise in his artistic consciousness to the ideas of a new type of work, whose two- or multi-domain character turns into a sign of the new cultural identity of their authors. The formation and development of these “crossover” conversations may be seen in so different works such as Milcho Leviev’s jazz cantata “Green House” and Vassil Kazandjiev's symphonic suite “Pictures from Bulgaria.” In this context, the Bulgarian folklore heritage remains lively and distinctively recognisable, but unrepeatable in the perspective of any individual author’s viewing.

An Approach to Data Representation and Processing of Knowledge from the Bulgarian Folklore

In the context of global and high-tech development, cultural fields are often overlooked during these transitions. Therefore, it is essential to pay close attention to their inclusion. Cultural-historical heritage, which has undergone centuries of changes, deserves to be introduced into the technological world and made as accessible as possible to society, without territorial or border restrictions. Digitizing a part of this heritage, including folklore, can make it high-tech while preserving its character, peculiarity, and identity. This article examines the digitalization of Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage. It explores existing international standards for presenting cultural heritage and proposes a formalism for an adequate presentation of knowledge in the field of Bulgarian folklore. This article presents the first version of a model for the formal description of objects from Bulgarian folklore. We provide examples of the formal presentation of objects from Bulgarian folklore and their corresponding computer implementation.

BULGARIAN MUSICAL ART AS A SYNTHESIS OF FOREIGN-NATION CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS

This article studies the effect of achievements of proto-Bulgarian, Thracian, Ancient Greek and Byzantine cultures on formation of the Bulgarian nation. The main scientific concepts concerning the origins of Bulgarians, etymology of name, and matters concerning linguistic and ethnic affiliation have been analyzed. The most important historical events that bore upon formation of the Bulgarian nation have been reviewed; in particular, attention was focused upon development of religious views of Bulgarians starting from the archaic eras. Materials concerning the influence which achievements of proto-Bulgarians had on Bulgarian music and culture in general have been studied. An analysis of historical materials concerning the life of Turkish and Irano-Indian peoples, archeological cultural discoveries and accounts of various historians suggest the conclusion that archaic layers of Bulgarian folklore have relation to Irano- Indian, Turkish and Irano-Semite origins of monodic melodic culture, which were in organic contact with proto-Christian and early Christian artistic layers, thus facilitating flexible contacts with other Southern European cultural phenomena. This relation manifests itself in common features of Turkish and Bulgarian rhythms, the structure of folk music modes and the use of a quartertone system in music of these countries. One subsection systemizes historical information regarding Thracians, and offers an overview of the works of historians and scholars studying origins of the Thracian language that influenced morphological and syntactical linguistic system of Bulgarians, and religious legacy. A conclusion was drawn that Bulgaria preserved the orphic cult of Ancient Thrace no less than Greece and Byzantium did, where vocal basis of music defined exceptional originality of rhythmic structures, in particular, in instrumentalism. Accounts of Greek historians concerning secular and folk music of Thrace, rites, pantomimic scenes, etc. have been analyzed as well. The discovered sources allow to assume that practicing musicians of Ancient Thrace were prohibited from not only writing about music but even talking about it, although the myths, religious beliefs and ritual practices indicate the authoritativeness of Thracians in this particular area. Bulgaria’s inheritance of Ancient Greece’s cultural legacy, including via Byzantine Orthodoxy of the 4 th to 6 th and 9 th to 11 th centuries, as proved by numerous examples of architecture, painting art and music (and especially its rhythmical side) has been analyzed. Based on theoretical works by V. Kholopova, D. Hristov, V. Stoin and A. Stoyanov, particularities of Bulgarian “irregular rhythmics” (which have, first of all, antique metrics at its core) and the problems of their fixing have been described. Attention was also given to the hereditary features existing between Bulgaria and Byzantium, especially in religious Christian culture. The commonness manifests itself not only in the structure of Divine Service and the octoechos system but also in the monody of drone (ison) singing that remains contemporaneous in Bulgaria, in dissemination of the tradition of bass singing of psalms, in melisma which was not just an “adornment” but has retained the original rhetoric in the function of sacral mode of singing, and in the importance of ritual theatrical forms.

ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИТЕ НА ЖЕНИТЕ В ЖИВОТНИ В КИТАЙСКАТА И БЪЛГАРСКАТА НАРОДНА КУЛТУРА

The cultural artistry of people always impresses with interesting characters and plots. This following article aims to present the transformations of women into animals and of animals into women in Chinese and Bulgarian folklore, starting from ancient myths and the deities who created the humans, passing through the traditional transformations into dragons or hydras, as well as into other creatures such as nine-tailed foxes, hedgehogs, bears, goats, and birds.

Fairy Tales of Angel Karaliychev in Russian Translations

The article is devoted to the work of the Bulgarian writer of the XXth century, Angel Karaliychev. In the second half of the XXth century, his most famous fairy tales and stories for children were translated into Russian, including the collection “Bulgarian Folk Talesˮ in two volumes. In the Soviet Union, Karaliychev’s fairy tales were included in collections of fairy tales of Slavic peoples and represented Bulgarian folklore in collections of fairy tales of the peoples of the world published in Russian. Despite the fact that the last book edition of Karaliychev’s fairy tales in Russian appeared in the 1980s, his works continue their life in the new century in electronic format, on the Internet. Karaliychev’s fairy tales, addressed to children 4 – 10 years old, tell about eternal values in a language understandable for children, they also introduce to children and adults the realities of Bulgarian life, the heroes of Bulgarian folk tales, expanding the horizons of the Russian reader.

TWO PATHS TO BUILDING THE MODERN BULGARIAN NATIONAL MYTHOLOGY: “HADZHI DIMITAR” BY HRISTO BOTEV AND “THE NEW GRAVEYARD ABOVE SLIVNITSA” BY IVAN VAZOV

The paper contains a contrastive analysis of two poems: Hristo Botev’s “Hadzhi Dimitar” (1873) and Ivan Vazov’s “The New Graveyard Above Slivnitsa” (1886). Throughout the 20th century both texts were regarded as highly representative of Bulgarian literature with strong influence on the modern national mythology. Their common theme (the death and glorification of national heroes), however, has not provoked intertextual analyses to date. The research leads to the conclusion that while Botev builds his symbolic system on the basis of Bulgarian folklore, Vazov relies on military metaphors and Christian notions, such as the righteous death, the Second Coming and eternity. This pattern, consistent with other works by the two authors, allows to comment on a literary confrontation that shares some similarities with Western European disputes between defenders of classicism and romanticism. In the case of Bulgarian literary history, Botev can be interpreted as the initiator of a long-lasting tradition of romantic glorification through transformation and integration of the folkloristic heritage (mainly the folk song), while Vazov’s classicist concepts had far fewer adherents. In the light of the conducted contrastive analysis the popular thesis, defended by Milena Tsaneva, about Botev and Vazov’s collaboration and continuity in creating the national poetic pantheon demands verification through the questions of confronting ideological and symbolic strategies towards revealing the uniqueness of modern Bulgarian identity.

Ontology of Bulgarian Folklore

The article presents an ontology describing Bulgarian musical folklore as part of the cultural and historical heritage of Bulgaria. The ontology has been developed together with a number of ontologies that are based on the CCO (Cataloging Cultural Objects) standard. The set of ontologies is a knowledge base, used by intelligent agents.

Заедно – физическа култура и спорт, информационни технологии, български език и литература

The article presents a non-traditional pedagogical practice, which allows to combine the study of traditional Bulgarian folklore dances in the classes of physical education and sports with the knowledge and skills acquired in Bulgarian language and literature and in IT classes. The increase of the physical capacity combines with upgrading students' abilities to select, analyze and synthesize data on Bulgarian folklore, as well as to improve their digital culture.

ONTOLOGY OF THE BULGARIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE. BULGARIAN FOLKLORE

This article presents the creation of an ontology describing Bulgarian folklore. The ontology has been developed based on the CCO (Cataloging Cultural Objects) standard. CCO leads us to provide data content standards. The set of ontologies is a knowledge base used by intelligent agents. One of the main problems with systems and developments describing different cultural and/or historical sites is the difficulty in sharing information between individual societies or systems. The use of standards greatly facilitates the dissemination of data. The CCO standard provides clear and precise definitions of the individual attributes that an object must possess. The ontologies developed by Protégé are designed in such a way as to meet the requirements of the standard. The created ontologies describe 7 folklore areas with specific ones being: music, dances and musical instruments. The work on creating this ontology directs us to create web applications of the developed ontologies.

Фолклорът в контекста на литературното обучение (според действащата учебна програма по литература за V клас)

The article aims to present basic theoretical problems connected with studying folklore in the secondary stage of Bulgarian schools. The first part offers a brief diachronic review of the theoretical paradigm of Bulgarian folklore research, presenting the transition from the narrow philological understanding of folklore as “national poetic creativity” towards its wide sociological interpretation as “a type of creative culture”. In the second part of the article two curricula for the fifth grade, in which folklore is a key component, are analysed and compared – the one from 2007/2010 academic years and the current one, implemented since 2016/2017. The main goal of this part is to demonstrate how and how much the Literature curricula offer an opportunity for studying folklore in alignment with current theoretical stipulations in Bulgarian folklore research.

Bulgarian Traditional Folklore Celebrating Food and Sustainability

Being an integral part of the past cultural heritage, the traditional Bulgarian folklore festivals, carnivals, and celebrations are continuing to promote sustainable practices that venerate and respect nature. The article focusses specifically on celebrations related to food and plant growing. It reviews the intangible cultural heritage of the Bulgarian folklore, including traditions whose roots originated from pagan rituals but continue to be observed now. A description of the Kukeri carnival, Trifon Zarezan, Baba Marta, Peperuda (Butterfly), Rose Festival, Nestinari dancing rituals, and Enyovden are provided within a sustainability context. A common feature between these celebrations is the respect for nature and its healing capacity with people being perceived as part of the natural world. These traditional folklore festivities have survived the test of time with very little commercialisation. Food plays a major role in them, but most importantly, they help maintain the community spirit and social bonding.

Singing the nature - еthnobotanical knowledge in Bulgarian folk songs

Background: Bulgarian poetic folklore reflects an agrarian culture deeply connected with land and nature. However, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) transmitted through Bulgarian folklore is scarcely assessed. Questions: What are the dimensions of the TEK related to plant diversity (native and introduced) that appear in Bulgarian folk songs and what is their potential as transmitters of ТЕК? Data description: The lyrics of 10,113 Bulgarian folk songs were excerpted from major academic collections and a set of unpublished songs. Study site and dates: Current study covers songs that have been documented since mid-19th century onwards in the present and former Bulgarian territories and in areas that have been inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians abroad. Methods: Common plant names and descriptions of plants and landscapes were used to detect botanical affiliations of the denoted plants. We focused on frequencies of plant representations and their functions associated with cultural, agricultural and food-processing practices. Results: A total of 146 plant taxa from 109 genera were mentioned in 47.3 % of the studied songs. Over 60 % of the most frequently mentioned taxa were archaeophytes while neophytes were represented by seven taxa, denoting everyday and spiritual importance of nature. Conclusions: Bulgarian folk songs presented wide range of nature-related information typically reported for ethnic groups outside Europe. Quantification of TEK preserved in documented poetic folklore and further assessment of performance of nature-rich folklore would allow development additional tools for evaluation of cultural significance of species, landscapes and ecosystems as well as for development of educational and inspirational materials.

Cultural roots and nostalgia: Exploring cultural identity and sense of belonging through animation practice

Animation, both as an art form and a storytelling medium, offers a variety of creative avenues for self-expression. The animator’s cultural background, depending on the individual, can have a strong influence on their practice, which can be elicited from their stylistic choices as well as their approach to storytelling and technique. This article discusses how an autoethnographic reflection into animation practice, in particular the early stage of idea formation, has uncovered questions about cultural identity and sense of belonging when living abroad. It explores the role of nostalgia in the creative process and questions whether the feeling of homesickness can influence ideas and act as a spur to create work inspired by the animator’s culture and heritage. The article discusses three short animations produced by the lead author and the thought process that led to the decision to base them on Bulgarian folklore, music and literature while living in the United Kingdom.

Bashkir Mythological Beit "Sak-Suk" and Tales, Legends of the Bulgarian People

The Bashkir bait "Sak and Suk" is one of the most popular poetic works of folk oral poetry. Bait is widespread among the Bashkirs, Tatars and Chuvash. This article is devoted to the study of parallels in the plots of the Bashkir texts of the mythological bait Sak-Suk with the tales and legends of the Bulgarian people about the cuckoo (owl) and the owl. It turned out that these folklore works have a similar plot basis: the mother curses her naughty children and turns them into birds that are not destined to meet each other. The differences are only in the names of the birds, although in the two peoples the main characters turn into night birds from the owl family. And in some cases, in Bulgarian folklore works, one of the heroes (mainly a daughter) turns into a cuckoo. Keywords: Bashkirs, Bait, Folklore, Expedition, Variant, Plot, Parallel, Mythology, Folk Art

MYTHOLOGICAL SYMBOLS FROM THE THRACIAN MEGALITHIC SANCTUARIES, CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM SACRED PLACES ON THE BALKANS

Abstract: The ancient Thracian megalithic and stone-hewn sacred places are full of symbols closely connected with the Thracian mythology and ancient cult practices which were typical for this area. Among them the most numerous are the huge stone-hewn human footprints, which in Bulgarian folklore were regarded as the footprints of the hero Krali Marko, who was thought of as the guardian of the people in Bulgaria. In the contemporary science studying Thrace he is believed to have been the folklore successor of the Thracian Dionysus.Marking the sacred place with a stone-hewn footstep altar of the hero was authentic evidence for the believers in ancient times that the god had been there in primordial mythological times. In this way, through the contact with the divine, the monumental rock turns into sacred and the place turns into a sanctuary. The raw becomes boiled, Nature becomes culture. With the establishment of Christianity as the sole religion in the Roman Empire since the 4th century, some of the Thracian megalithic sanctuaries have been abandoned. Others have been Christianized. Later, others in the Middle Ages were converted into Islamic sacred places. In this way they became permanently sacred places on the Balkans. Part of the signs-symbols in them have a new meaning in the spirit of the new religions.Key words: anthropology; history of culture; religion; mythology; archaeology;

THE BULGARIAN FOLKLORE SONG - MODERNITY, TRANSFORMATION AND VIEW TO THE FUTURE

The last decades are time of dynamic changes in folk music, which is a part of contemporary Bulgarian musical culture. Singer's performing art related to Bulgarian musical folklore is the part of Bulgarian culture that makes it recognizable and valued in the world. Thus, the Bulgarian folk song presented by its contemporary performers is perceived simultaneously as one of the oldest and most local manifestations of art in the cultural world, and as well as an artefact and a value, one of the most modern and global manifestations of the shared cultural heritage of humanity. The Bulgarian folklore, with its specificity and characteristics, develops on the land of the Bulgarian ethnos and it was formed on a space in Southeastern Europe, which far exceeds the state borders of present-day Bulgaria. Bearers of this culture are as numerous diasporas in southern Russia, in Ukraine and Moldavia, as well as Bulgarian settlers in the Banat region of present-day Romania, population in Bosilegrad, Dimitrovgrad and the surrounding villages in present-day Serbia. Why is it so important to preserve and rediscover our folk song, to develop it as art, concert policy, media content, educational practices, market mechanisms? Bulgarian folk song contains every single human experience, every emotion, the history of past and present generations, wisdom, folly, heroism, cunning, love, hate, faith, hope, kindness ... It is a mystical memory, a philosophy of life, a way to understand the spiritual and the eternal. The folklore song is both old and modern; simultaneously our, local and common, global; because it reflects our cultural identity and makes us unique and recognizable in the world; because it is one of the strongest manifestations of the human, the aesthetic, the moral. Imagine that you are listening to a favorite folk song: the power of words pierces the brain, the melody caresses and warms the heart, the magic of the song carries you like a time machine backwards, in the memory of the Golden Ages of harmonious worlds and forward, in the dreamed better worlds... Without the folk song, our Bulgarian world will not be the same because our Bulgarian folk song is bread, life, history, past, present and future.

THE REPERTOIRE IN FOLK SINGING TRAINING AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CREATING CREATIVITY IN STUDENTS MINDS - THE FUTURE TEACHERS

Nowadays, the formation of creative attitude is a current issue which is directly related to the goals and missions of todays folk singing training and education; and to the uniqueness and adaptability skills in each and every personality. Through the means of expression (concluding improvisation) found in bulgarian folklore, the repertoire in folk singing training allows the development of a creative attitude. The repertoire in folk singing training among with the means of expression in both authentic and processed folklore songs allows the ability of creative thinking in every student to grow. The repertoire mainly contains folk songs with a piano accompaniment. To develop a creative attitude, the training uses interdisciplinary approaches. The students are pushed into using the knowledge they've received from other classes (Music theory, solfeggio, Musical analysis, Piano class). For example to recognize the type of piano accompaniment; the type of introduction; the purpose of the piano accompaniment in the song itself. An important moment is tracking and understanding the connection between voice and instrument ,between being a solo performer or a part of a chamber ensemble.There is a special part of the repertoire which present non-standard composition tools- aleatoric models, improvisational thinking, compositional interpretation. The practice approaches are:  assimilation of the abilities and knowledge (orientation, activities …);  detail reading of the songs context;  learning how to be, behave and act as a performer;  professionally training the students how to become qualified teachers.

MYTHOLOGICAL SYMBOLS FROM THE THRACIAN MEGALITHIC SANCTUARIES, CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM SACRED PLACES ON THE BALKANS

The ancient Thracian megalithic and stone-hewn sacred places are full of symbols closely connected with the Thracian mythology and ancient cult practices which were typical for this area. Among them the most numerous are the huge stone-hewn human footprints, which in Bulgarian folklore were regarded as the footprints of the hero Krali Marko, who was thought of as the guardian of the people in Bulgaria. In the contemporary science studying Thrace he is believed to have been the folklore successor of the Thracian Dionysus.Marking the sacred place with a stone-hewn footstep altar of the hero was authentic evidence for the believers in ancient times that the god had been there in primordial mythological times. In this way, through the contact with the divine, the monumental rock turns into sacred and the place turns into a sanctuary. The raw becomes boiled, Nature becomes culture. With the establishment of Christianity as the sole religion in the Roman Empire since the 4th century, some of the Thracian megalithic sanctuaries have been abandoned. Others have been Christianized. Later, others in the Middle Ages were converted into Islamic sacred places. In this way they became permanently sacred places on the Balkans. Part of the signs-symbols in them have a new meaning in the spirit of the new religions.

Między agape a krwawą ofiarą. Kurban w życiu religijnym wyznawców prawosławia (Rodopy Zachodnie, Bułgaria)

Between agape and blood sacrifice. Kurban in the religious life of Orthodox Christian (Western Rhodopes, Bulgaria)The article is an excerpt of the dissertation „Religious syncretism and anti-syncretism in the light of the coexistence between Muslims (Pomaks) and Orthodox Christians in the Western Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria”. Dissertation is based on field research I did in 2005–2009 in the area of Gotse Delchev, a town in Blagoevgrad Province. I have interviewed community members invested with considerable symbolic potential, such as the mayor and the mufti, Orthodox clerics, hodjas, teachers and quack doctors. I conducted a total of 63 in-depth interviews with 76 people.My findings show that the local Orthodox population is more susceptible to the influence of Islam than vice versa. What is quite striking in this context is that examples of deep syncretism can actually be found among the Christians. This includes the practice of kurban or blood sacrifice, which they regard as a replication of Abraham’s sacrifice and invest with a level of importance that makes it a central aspect of their religious life (possibly more important than the Eucharist). Although Balkan Slavs had practiced blood sacrifice even before the arrival of Islam in the region, the Christian interpretations of the practice evince deep parallels with the Muslim practice of kurban. Both religious groups identify Abraham’s sacrifice as the origin of the practice, and treat the sacrificial lamb as a substitute for a specific human life.Although the scholar Florentina Badalanova has interestingly suggested that the narrative of Abraham’s sacrifice, which is popular in Bulgarian folklore, may have persisted in an unchanged form ever since it originally emerged in ancient Ur and became transmitted orally to the Balkans, her thesis must remain purely conjectural. Where it comes to the Western Rhodopes, I suppose that the motif of Abraham’s sacrifice filtered into Christian religious symbols and narratives via the traditions of adat Islam, many of which had retained close links with Judaism. By adopting the Ottoman Turkish term (kurban) rather than its Semitic variant (qorban), the Christians also adopted the related set of ideas about the sacrifice and its sacred aetiology. The precise ramifications of this example of deep syncretism for the religious experience of Orthodox Christians, though interesting, would require additional in-depth research.