Bulgarian folklore groups from different European countries will be singing and dancing at the 8^th edition of the festival “In the square of the other Bulgaria”. The event is taking place on 3 and 4 June in the capital of Czechia Prague, and is mottoed “Rose festival – picking roses in the Valley of Roses”.

“There will be 80 groups from different countries taking part, there will be guest choreographers, live music, a horo-theque and many other surprises,” Todor Ralev, choreographer of Bulgari ensemble, and organizer of this year’s festival said for the Bulgarian news agency BTA in Prague. Almost 3,000 Bulgarians from France, Great Britain, Spain, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Poland and other countries will be taking part in the festival.  

The Bulgarian community in Prague will present demonstrations of rose-picking rituals typical of Kazanluk region. The event coincides with the celebrations of the 120^th anniversary of the first rose festival in Kazanluk, dubbed the capital city of the Valley of Roses.

• The 120th anniversary of the Rose Festival in Kazanlak will be celebrated in June

“The idea is to bring us all together, hand in hand, so we can dance in the improvised “square”, have fun together, exchange information, and then go home having made hundreds of new friends,” Todor Ralev says.

More:

• Bulgarians gather "In the square of the Other Bulgaria" in Copenhagen

Compiled by Veneta Nikolova

Translated from the Bulgarian and posted by Milena Daynova