VENETS: the Belogradchik journal for local history, cultural heritave and folk studies

261-279

Authors: R. Pankova-Karadjova

This is a snapshot story of a young woman life in the North-West Bulgarian villages during the late 1930s. Venah Milova is on her way to visit her husband Yordan, who works at a windmill near Belogradchik. She has to walk 18 kilometres to get there, and to save her single pair of shoes, she tucks them in her bag and goes barefoot. Venah manages to hitchhike a ride in the carriage of the district constable and captivates him with her sense of humour and the words: I am a district person too. She honestly shares with him the difficulties of the poor peasant’s life her own and other families go through, hoping for a change. Impressed with the young woman’s conduct, her sincerity, confidence and her openly expressed vision, the district constable makes a special detour to deliver Venah to her destination. He then congratulates her husband Yordan for his beautiful, open-minded and hard-working wife. This is a true story, written out as part of “The history of my family” – started by Yordan, continued by their daughter Vetka Pankova and retold here by their granddaughter Rostislava Pankova-Karadjova.

312-327

Authors: K. Krastev

The travel notes, entitled “Stone Wonders”, by Kiril Krastev (1904-1991), were published in the famous magazine “Zlatorog” in 1939 (Volime 20, Number 10).

356-359

Authors: B.V. Toshev

The first information about the meteorite of Belogradchik (1874) was given in Bulgarian language in the newspaper The Levant Times, 1 June 1874.

372-379

Authors: V. Toshev

In 1907 Konstantin Kavarnaliev was a commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment in Belogradchik. He initiated the building of the summer training camp of the regiment. His activity in this time is described in details. Two families were in friendship – those of Kavarnaliev and Jonkov. Kavarnaliev was killed in the battlefield in 1913. Jonkov was killed in the terrorist attack in Sofia in 1925.

394-399

Authors: S. Antova

After the communist regime in Bulgaria, the interest of the people to religion was revived. Many of anthropological dimensions with religious nature are considered in Karamihova’s book (2014). Religious tourism and places of pilgrimages are described. The dynamics of this new social development is studied.

133-149

Authors: S. Tzvetkova

“Free Falling Objects” is the first chapter of Stefka Tzvetkova’s novel “Sedem nezabravki” [Seven Forget-me-not], published in 2009 in Veliko Tirnovo (Bulgaria). This journal publication was planned by the writer in August 2013. Unfortunately, in the first days of 2014 Stefka Tzvetkova passed away.

157-174

Authors: H. Mindov

“Petrified images” is a title of Christo Mindov’s travel notes, published first in the magazine “Zaveti” [Covenants] in 1939. Later, in 1946, this exciting text concerning Belogradchik with its famous rocks was included in a book entitled “Kum dalechnite prostori” [To the Distant Expanses].

225-234

Authors: J. Tabov

The famous old map of al-Idrisi in the territory of today Dobrogea has a name which would be written with the Cyrillic alphabet in the form ard Burdzhan. Here is presented the hypothesis that ard brudzhan is obtained by rewriting, as a result of a misreading, of ar Dobrudzha and ard Dobrudzha, and means, respectively, Dobrich and/or Dobrogea.

250-255

Authors: S. Antova

In 2012 Sashka Biseranova defended successfully her PhD thesis. Later this extended study was transformed into a large book. The study is based on a new modern approach, covering the study of funeral customs and commemoration of both Bulgarians and Vlachs in the border region between North-West Bulgaria and the neighbour countries Romania and Serbia.

5-27

Authors: V. Kachev

All the poems, presented in this collection, are created in May 2014 by Valentin Kachev, a known poet and writer, Valentin Kachev was born in Belogradchik. Most of his creative writings are a product of his recollections and impressions from this wonderful town.

59-64

Authors: B.V. Toshev

One of the biggest Ottoman fortresses – the fortress of Belogradchik – was labeled by a stone in Bulgarian. This stone was first described by brothers’ Škorpil in 1892. No answer the question why that inscription was in the rayah language.

107-127

Authors: F. Petkovski

This work reviews an interesting appearance of ritual processions on the Balkan Peninsula that has succeeded to maintain and keep the practice through vast period of transformations, changes and cultural developments. The women’s processions “Lazarki” (Лазарки in original or “Lazarici”, “Lazorki”, “Lazarinki”, “Lazarenki”, “Lazara” depending of the ethnic regions in Macedonia, appear as one of the most famous ritual practices in Macedonia that have maintained to survive their tradition even today. As a most adequate term, I will simply use the name “Lazarki”. These women’s ritual processions are famous in most of the countries on the Balkan such as Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania etc. performed by a group of girls that use a certain text or melody, as well as dancing or theatre elements as a basic and inextricable element (Maletic, 1986). The ritual is performed in motion while the girls are singing ritual songs or doing a ritual dance while traveling throughout the village or performing in the yard of a family that they have come to bless. The basic factor for this performance is the moment through which the ritual procession contributes towards the overall goods of the family, and as return, the group is rewarded with gifts such as food, clothing or money.