With smiles and inspiration from July 29 to 31, 2023, the three-day fest “Roma Culture Day” took place in the village of Aprilovo, municipality of Gorna Malina. This fesival is part of the initiatives under the “United in Diversity” project. The event attracted students, parents, local residents and cultural enthusiasts who gathered in the courtyard of the School “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” to celebrate the diversity of Roma culture. The festival not only highlighted the importance of cultural diversity, but also reflected efforts to popularize and preserve the valuable heritage of the Roma community. The festival was opened with an emotional performance of the national anthem “Jhelem, Jhelem”. The program provided the audience with an unforgettable experience of cultural diversity and harmony. The rich cultural heritage of the Roma community was presented through a variety of events: poetry recital, traditional dances with remarkable traditional clothing and music. Parallel events included an exhibition of student drawings from the “My Colorful World” competition, which impressed and inspired all present. The guests of the festival had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of culinary delights. The program also included interesting presentations, such as “Prehistory of the Roma” and “Awakeners among the Roma”, which introduced the event guests to significant figures from national and world history with Roma roots. The Orchestra of Roma Young Talents closed the festival with an inspiring concert, followed by an award ceremony for all participants. The festival ended with a spontaneous dance of guests and participants of the event in the courtyard of the school.
The organizers express their gratitude to everyone who supported and participated in this festival, creating an incomparable atmosphere and sharing precious moments of Roma culture.
List of awarded students
My Colorful World Drawing Contest
- Natalia Nikolaeva
Poem recital
- Leonardo Peshev – first place
- Kristiyan Savchev – second place
- Alex Yordanov – third place
Choreography
- Tanya Veselinova – first place
- Petya Ilieva – second place
- Antonia Borislavova – third place
The event was held in the framework of the project “United in diversity”, funded under Program RA 14 “Cultural entrepreneurship, heritage and cooperation”, Result 3 “Improved awareness of arts and culture of ethnic and cultural minorities (focus on Roma)”, with the support of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021