Maria Nikolova - Bessarabian-born Bulgarian, who took her family back to their roots

The Bolhrad region of Ukraine is considered the heart of the Bessarabian Bulgarian community, home to the largest and most concentrated population of ethnic Bulgarians outside of Bulgaria. More than 200 years ago, Bulgarian emigrants fled the Ottoman invasion and found refuge in Bessarabia, where they established their own villages. Despite being cut off from their homeland, these communities managed to preserve their language and culture over the centuries. It is only in recent decades that ethnographers and historians in Bulgaria have begun to discover the rich ethnographic heritage preserved by these communities.

Maria Nikolova, the central figure in this story, was born in Vinogradovka, one of the villages in the Bolhrad region. However, fate eventually brought her back to her ancestral homeland. Today, Maria lives in the village of Zaychino Oreshe, in the municipality of Novi Pazar, Bulgaria. Speaking to Hristina Dimitrova of BNR Shumen, Maria said that the people in her home village speak a unique form of Bulgarian, peppered with archaic and dialect words, although they do not write it that way. She also shared stories about the origins of Vinogradovka:

"Eight families founded the village. Years ago it had about 8,000 inhabitants. Now there are about 3-4 thousand. But it is one of the largest villages in the Artsyz region, which has a predominantly Bulgarian population.

Everyone has kept the dialect and customs of the region they come from. They are all very committed to preserving Bulgarian traditions and culture.

Some of the Bulgarians in Vinogradovka are descendants of emigrants from the Shopluka region, others from the Sliven region.

"I know from my own experience that our people from this region, where I was born, love Bulgaria very much. When they hear Bulgarian music, they stop and listen. My mother, God rest her soul, was a very good singer. She sang wonderful songs, I hear them now - the Shopi (people from the Shopluka region around and west of Sofia - ed.) sing such songs. The slow ones.

The people in my village have kept the Bulgarian way - the horo chain dances, the songs, the traditions, and maybe that's what keeps them going. They feel that they are Bulgarian. They are Bulgarian," says Maria with emphasis.

Maria comes across as an outgoing, energetic person, a mover and shaker with a fine sense of humour. Today, exactly 30 years after her arrival in Bulgaria on 6 September 1994, Maria has no doubts about her nationality. "I now think in Bulgarian", which means that she feels at home and at ease in Bulgaria.

With a degree in engineering from the Academy of Food Industry in Odessa, Ukraine, our guest worked her way up from lab technician to head of two workshops - a confectionery shop and a tinning shop - at a factory in Artyz. Then, at the age of 33, she took a dramatic turn and decided to move to Bulgaria, driven by love. She had one condition: her new husband had to accept not only her child from her first marriage, but also, as it turned out, "her whole big Italian family". He agreed and welcomed them with open arms, says Maria, laughing.

"I have a son from my first marriage who is here with me. I also brought my two sisters who are now married here. In 1998 I brought my mother and father as well. So my great-great-grandfather emigrated our family to Ukraine, and now I've brought them back," says Maria. Her second son, born in Bulgaria, has become a bridge between her past life and her new life in Zaychino Oreshe.

"I liked the village a lot. I didn't have a job at first because I had my younger son. I had no one to look after him and there was no kindergarten. So I only began to work when my son started school. I practically didn't know how to write in Bulgarian until then. He was in first grade and I was in first grade, - Maria laughs. - I started working in the municipality, where I was responsible for temporary employment. Of course, there were colleagues who did not see me as Bulgarian, but as Russian. As it turns out, in Ukraine I am Bulgarian and here I am Russian, although I am Bulgarian both there and here".

In her first days at the municipality, Maria Nikolova met Muzeyam Ali, a colleague who was happy to help her learn the ropes. This led to a true friendship that continues to this day. After so many years, Muzeyam and Maria are still working side by side, but now as president and vice-president of the Women's Association "Hayachi" in Novi Pazar, fighting for the integration of vulnerable groups and the right to a dignified life for every member of society - a mission to which they are both dedicated.

Text by Miglena Ivanova, based on an interview conducted by Hristina Dimitrova for BNR Shumen

Photos: radio Shumen, archive , villagelife.bg

Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova

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Maria Nikolova - Bessarabian-born Bulgarian, who took her family back to their roots

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