Once again, Gabrovo and its people will be saying goodbye to the old year with a bang – with a concert and fireworks in a central square of the city. But unlike the rest of the world, in Gabrovo that is going to happen on… 30 December.

“Which will make us the first to say goodbye to the old year. On 30 December we count our blessings from the old year and look to the new year with hope. The idea actually came into being quite a few years ago, when we were trying to find a way to have people come to a party of the whole city. And what we saw was that one day before New Year’s Eve, people in the town were more enthusiastic and inclined to party together in the town square,” says the mayor of Gabrovo Tanya Hristova. “These past few years have shown that people prefer to spend New Year’s Eve at home, with their families, or to travel.”  

So, having a party on 30 December has proved to be a great idea, and it is now turning into something of a tradition for Gabrovo.

“At the same time, in a typically “Gabrovian” way, it is more economical, because we have noticed that the royalties for the performers on 30 December are a little bit lower, and that is a way to keep the flag of our notorious frugality flying, because that is what Gabrovo is famed for,” Tanya Hristova goes on to say.

To begin with, this unorthodox initiative, started in 2016, triggered a lot of conflicting reactions, but several years down the line, people in Gabrovo are beginning to take to the 30 December celebration.

“Some see it as some kind of joke, others are really happy to have an additional cause for celebration, there are people who have been giving us advice how to make it more attractive. Of course, there are the eternal grouches, ever complaining this will be another year with no New Year celebration. But let me say,” Gabrovo’s mayor goes on to say, “that even in the hardest of times, wearing masks and keeping their distance, people still came out into the square to see off the old year together.”

“Despite all problems, the pandemic, the economic hardships, 2022 has been a good year for Gabrovo,” Tanya Hristova says. “The project for modernizing the lighting of the city has been completed, some neighbourhoods of Gabrovo have been renovated, the overhaul has begun of the former summer camp which will be transformed into a youth centre, renovation has begun of the emblematic building of the Culture House.

There are many projects connected with the Etara open-air regional ethnographic museum and the Regional Museum of History in Gabrovo.  

The next steps will be to set up a centre for modern art named after world-famous artist Christo, who was born in Gabrovo, and the town’s participation in the EC mission - 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.

“In the spirit of the challenges that await us all, Gabrovo is seeing off the old year with sincere gratitude and with the ambition of making the new year more successful, and of demonstrating we are capable of the love, hard work and tenacity needed to attain our goals. I would like to wish the people of Gabrovo, all people in Bulgaria and all your listeners happy holidays together, and a very successful 2023!”  

And, as is now the tradition, the people of the city of humour and satire will receive a special gift – a concert “Under the stars of Gabrovo”, with the participation of Tryavna Revival, Vladimir Ampov-Grafa and Mihaela Fileva.

Photos courtesy of Tanya Hristova