For the Bulgarians in Athens, folklore dances are the most powerful connection to their homeland

published on 1/3/24 4:02 PM

Photo: Facebook /Desislava Zlateva

Talented choreographers and dancers created dozens of folklore ensembles in Bulgaria in the middle of the last century. At that time, the idea was that every town should have a representative dance group to promote local folklore and revive traditions. The folklore ensemble in Pazardzhik was founded in 1962. Over the years, dozens of musicians and dancers born in and around Pazardzhik have performed in the ensemble. Many of them are still passionate about folk dance and music and continue to participate wholeheartedly, if only as listeners, for most of them are no longer professionally involved in performing arts.

The story of Desislava Zlateva's life illustrates how irresistible the magic of our folklore is. More than 15 years ago she was part of the Pazardzhik ensemble, with which she performed and toured all over the country. Until one day the young woman left her home town and went travelling abroad. But wherever her adventures took her, she carried with her this love for Bulgarian folklore and especially for the dances of the Thracian folklore region.

She finally settled in Athens in 2007. It did not take her long to form her own Bulgarian folklore group - "Detelini" ("Clovers"). She chose the name because of a very popular song by Bulgarian pop star Lili Ivanova. So every time she mentioned the name of the ensemble, the words and melody of the song would ring in her mind's ear: "When you single out a four-leaf clover, that winsome rare charm that brings you luck, you'll have the happiest of all the years, and all desired things you've dreamed about...".

The serendipitous luck of discovering something so special like the Detelini folklore group in the Greek capital is also part of the message the ensemble brings to its audience - both Bulgarians and other foreigners living in Greece, as well as locals. Desislava Zlateva

The Detelini Dance Group has memorable dance performances under its belt - appearances at international festivals, charity concerts, Bulgarian community events and performances for Greek audiences. "We do not have the ambition to be like the professional groups, our aim is different - it is first of all to try to preserve what our ancestors created and to pass on what we have learnt," Desislava Zlateva told Radio Bulgaria:

"Our group has been around for many years and the hurdles we had to go through were many. My idea to form a folklore group came after I received support from a Bulgarian school in Athens, the Paisiy Hilendarski school. Then our task was to make the Bulgarians living in the Greek capital aware that such a group existed, because until then there had been none. It was a thorny road, but we kept on going. Now there are four such groups in the Greek capital. All of them are flourishing and I am proud of all my colleagues who contribute to the spread of Bulgarian folklore. There is no competition between our groups, on the contrary, there is mutual respect and friendship".

There are about 200,000 Bulgarians in Athens, but no one knows the exact number because there are many illegal residents, says Desislava Zlateva. The people who are part of the Detelini ensemble have different professions - some are economists, others are school principals, others work in tourism and so on. But all of them say that when they participate in the activities of the Bulgarian folklore group, they feel both grounded and free from the worries of everyday life.

The positive energy of folklore gives stamina and strengthens the bond between Bulgarians abroad - says Desislava Zlateva:

"Folklore unites us, but we also have a Bulgarian church in Athens. The priest who runs the church does a great deal to keep our community together. This is Father Stefan, he's a very young man, very kind, and he works entirely in our support, so that there is a connection between the Bulgarians and between the Bulgarian schools and the dance groups, because these are our institutions there. We are very grateful to this man. You know, in his daily life, everybody lives with their commitments and their worries, but he finds a way to draw us in and get us involved. The Embassy in Athens does the same. They organise events to which everyone is invited, and that is how the Bulgarian spirit is kept alive.

For me, Bulgarian folklore is a true love. It brings me love and I take my love back to folk dancing and I am looking for nothing more than this wonderful feeling that I have felt for our folk dancing in Bulgaria. Yes, being away from our roots, our families in Bulgaria - it fills us with nostalgia, but everything we do in Bulgarian folklore dance centers brings us back to our roots and connects us to our country. We want to join hands in the horo chain dance and feel closer to God and to Bulgaria through Bulgarian rhythms. Our folk rhythms carry this magic. There are many young Bulgarian families in Greece and their children attend Bulgarian schools and Bulgarian folk dances. This pleases the eye and the soul, because I see that we are leaving a trace behind us, and it is all because of our homeland".

Photos:Facebook /Desislava Zlateva

Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova

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