The first edition of Experience Bulgaria magazine for 2019 has already been released. The fans of Bulgarian folklore, traditional crafts and clothing again have the opportunity to spend useful hours with a richly illustrated magazine in their hands. Experience Bulgaria is a modern, contemporary magazine about the traditional customs and culture. It is published both in Bulgarian and English, the magazine’s editor Svetlana Radeva told Radio Bulgaria.

In the latest edition of Experience Bulgaria magazine we present the National Folklore Ensemble Philp Kutev. Readers can also enjoy an interview with Professor Elena Kuteva, daughter of the renowned Bulgarian composer Philip Kutev and chief artistic director of the Philip Kutev ensemble, as well as an interview with one of the ensemble’s soloists – Sorina Bogomilova. This edition focuses on the traditional masquerade games in Bulgaria. The article was prepared by Tsvetana Manova who is an expert in this field. It contains many beautiful author photos. However, these photos were not made at the Surva festival of masquerade games in Pernik, but in other villages in Pernik district which traditionally organize masquerade games on January 13 and 14. The handiworks presented in Experience Bulgaria magazine this time is a modern bodice with woolen braiding proposed by Miglena Terzieva from the town of Targovishte (Southeast Bulgaria). There is a video to the article which is published on the website and the Facebook page of the magazine. We also present the Regional Museum of History in Targovishte.

The Regional Museum of History in Targovishte which studies and promotes the history of Targovishte region has existed as an independent institution since 1960. Over 25,000 finds from the Neolithic period until present days are kept in this museum, including the popular Kralevsko gold treasure. It was discovered in 1979 in a tomb of a senior aristocrat who lived in the 3^rd century BC. It consists of 47 gold applications with enamel, gold tiles with gryphon images, medallions containing images of Heracles, earrings, hand bracelets and horse harness decorations.

Targovishte is Svetlana Radeva’s home town and the latest edition of Experience Bulgaria magazine is a demonstration of respect for the tradition and the culture bequeathed by her ancestors. The ethnologist who developed another interesting topic published in the magazine – the games our grandparents used to play in their childhood, is also from Targovishte region.

This article exists thanks to the efforts of ethnologist Ivelina Velcheva from the Historical Museum in Popovo who spent many years working in this field. This is a very big topic. That is why we will cover it in two or three editions. Ivelina spent many years touring the villages in this region and asking the elderly women about the local games, such as Celik, Aşık, etc. We uploaded photos of parts of lamb knuckles resembling die, used in the children’s game Aşık.

Readers can also see the rich collection of Bulgarian folklore costumes of Dr. Vanya Velkova from Berlin in the latest edition of Experience Bulgaria magazine.

The interest in Bulgarian embroidery has been huge in the recent years, Svetlana Radeva further says. I wrote the lesson in Bulgarian embroidery in the magazine’s second edition. However, I rely a lot on the contacts with the other colleagues working in this field. That is why we published excerpts from the book written by Stefka Mihailova from Kyustendil named Symbols, Signs and Patterns in Bulgarian Folk Embroidery, because the works of the researchers in this sphere must reach people of different age.

The team of Experience Bulgaria magazine contends that the Bulgarians keep many traditional costumes and most of them little known to the museum workers. That is why we launched a contest in the magazine’s latest edition named Our Grandmother’s and Grandfather’s Folk Costumes. We are expecting to receive photos of these costumes accompanied with brief description of their history. The winner is to get a prize – full kit for the White Swallow tapestry, which is an author’s work of Bulgarian Tapestry Company, Svetlana Radeva specifies.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov