Bulgarian

In comparison to the other Bulgarian colonies around the world, that of Istanbul is a special case. If one compares it with those in America, Australia and Canada, it is small in size, but an important part of the complicated Bulgarian-Turkish relationship. What makes it different are the history of its creation, the role it played during the Bulgarian National Revival and the conditions in which it found itself during the years leading to the present day.The Revival is the period when, in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Bulgarians consolidated themselves as an ethnic community in the name of the struggle for ecclesiastical independence. With its multiple donors and the support of the Bulgarian State, the Bulgarian Exarchate bought many properties and built Bulgarian spiritual centres on the territory of present-day Turkey—churches, schools, community centres, bookstores, and other representative buildings. According to contemporary Turkish law, the Bulgarian colony, which no...

(= Slavonic names for mosque with special regard to Polish, Silesian, Czech and Slovak data). -- Abstract: Even though mosques are a typical element of the Islamic culture the channels through which their designations came into Slavonic (as well as some other European languages) are not really well known. This author divides Slavonic reflexes of the Arabo-Turkic word into eight groups and discusses the reasons for their various shapes. The essay is composed of three parts: (1) Background and Western European data; (2) Slavonic and German; (3) Results and questions. The most interesting aspect is that of a semantic difference between two types of words (meczet ~ mešita ~ mošeja and džamija) and its importance for the etymology, as well as some comments on the source of the Czech and Slovak word on the one hand and the Russian term on the other. In the end of part (2) particular attention is paid to the question whether the Silesian name was borrowed from Polish or from Czech.

Abstract: This study discusses the considerable efforts carried out by Volga Bulgaria in its endeavour to
establish resolute relations with Baghdad nnder the Abbasid Caliphate. The study employs a historical
approach that involves systematic organization and assessment of data from past writings such as records from
Ibn Fadlan. Data collection involved the qualitative method including library research while data were analysed
through text and docwnent analysis comparison as well as induction and deduction. The objective of this study
is to effectuate an Islamic state. The study fmmd that the relations between Baghdad and Volga Bulgaria had
a positive impact on the development of Volga Bulgaria as an Islamic state and propelled a momentlllll for it to
attain its zenith in the history of Islam in Central Asia. However, this high point did not last as a result of a
series of attacks by the Mongols in the early 1230 A. C. which ultimately led to its conquest by former in 1236.

Gerov's principal work is considered his unique Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language (Речникъ на блъгарскый языкъ). For about fifty years, he collected, from ordinary people, a great number of words, expressions, proverbs, folk songs, and proper nouns. The first three letters were already published in 1855–1856 in Russia, but the dictionary as a whole was published in five volumes, from 1895 to 1904, with an appendix added in 1908 by Gerov's collaborator T.Panchev. The dictionary contains about 100 000 entries (if the appendix is included). It is considered an extremely valuable source for the study of the Bulgarian language of the XIX century.

Emigranţii bulgari din Basarabia la sfârşitul sec. XVIII−începutul sec. XIX în istoriografie. Autoreferat tezei de doctor în istorie. Veliko Târnovo, 2014.
Bulgarian migrants in Bessarabia at the end of 18th - first half of 19th century in historiography .
This thesis represents the first attempt for extensive monographic and wide research of the historical and ethnological studies concerning Bulgarian ethnical community in Bessarabia at the end of 18th - first half of 19th century. Some studies of  Romanian and Moldavian historians, which have not been included in the scientific circulation of the Bulgarian historicans at this moment, are widely analyzed. It is also defined their scientific importance. Here is specified fundamental historiographical debates on the question of the place and role of the colonists in the development of Bessarabia. With the analysis of Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Moldavian and Romanian historiography is described the illumination of migrant and ethnic and demographic processes which have taken place on the territory of Bessarabia. It is studied in details the scientific activity of scientists and ethnographers whose research interests and achievements determine the main research trends in the study of Bessarabian Bulgarians. There are also identified the results of many researchers in the same direction.

This study presents a hypothesis about the etymology of Bulgarian kuker, kukeri pl. denoting men wearing costumes with bells on the belts and masks of animals, taking part in a traditional Bulgarian ritual to scare away evil spirits. The ritual takes place around New Year and before Lent.
When constructing the hypothesis, the following data were taken into consideration: (1) the variety of denominations of mummers, connected with their expressiveness, (2) the varying form of the word kukeri / kukiri / kukuri and the absence of palatalisation, (3) the wide range of Slavic and Baltic words with the same or similar varying forms denoting bad and good spirits, convexities, curvatures, small round objects, rotational movements, squatting, kneeling down etc., (4) the possibility to see a reduplication in the word – kV-kVR, (5) a large number of formal and semantic parallels, i.e. words with the same meanings and sound forms, containing reduplicated clusters of sounds. All these data lead to a conclusion that Bulg. kuker could have sound symbolic origin.

Mountains were always a convenient region, which could be profited from as both a safe refuge protecting from the enemy as well as an opportune starting point of an attack against the enemy's territory. An analysis of works left by Byzantine historians and orators, describing military struggles between the Byzantines and the Bulgarians, which took place at the end of the 12 th and the beginning of the 13 th centuries, prove the above-mentioned role was played by the Haemus range (meaning here the Pre-Balkan and Stara Planina) in the process of recreating the Bulgarian state on the eve of the late Medieval Period. The texts suggest that over the period the mountains were associated by the Byzantines with a lair of rebels, i. e. a place, where their enemies were seeking refuge form the imperial army, and an area from which they would launch their attacks against the Byzantine territory. The Bulgarians, in turn, utilized the naturally protective characteristic of the Haemus itself as well as strongholds constructed therein to turn the region into a stronghold of their independence movement, which was especially important in the initial period of existence of their late medieval Bulgarian state, i.e. still when it was not a well-established political structure.

The year 927 brought a peace treaty between Byzantium and Bulgaria, which ended many years of military struggle between both the states. On this occasion, Theodore Daphnopates, a prominent representative of the intellectual elite of Constantinople of the first half of X century, delivered a speech praising the newly concluded agreement. By means of a variety of hints not only to ancient history and literature but also to the Bible, the speaker explained reasons which led the conflict between both the states, lamented sad consequences of numerous military operations conducted over the years of the past war, as well as elaborating on the importance of the newly established peace. Daphnopates wanted to convince those who heard his declamation that these were only the Byzantines who made up the new nation chosen by God and the new spiritual “House of Israel”. On the other hand, the Bulgarians were compared to a mere scion, which only recently had been grafted onto the stock of the vine tree of Jesse. The Byzantines were pictured as fathers and teachers in faith of the Bulgarians and the speaker wanted to imply that the latter would remain blessed by the Lord and their state would flourish only on condition that they remained faithful by the side of the empire and in unity with it. It is essential, however, that by means of the statement, the speaker included the Bulgarians into the hierarchic order established on Earth by God himself. On the other hand, he also pointed clearly that it was their fidelity to Byzantium that enabled them to enjoy the wise lead and firm protection of the empire. In orator’s opinion the peace concluded in 927 was a genuine miracle sent from God, which by no means should be disregarded, and any attempt to diminish its importance has to be condemned as a heavy sin. The speaker maintained that the survival of this peaceful coexistence was an important task to which both the involved parts were obliged to apply themselves seriously in the future. Since peace was always an eternal attribute of God himself, the establishment of this hopefully ever-lasting treaty, which was supposed to entirely eliminate war from the relations between the Byzantines and Bulgarians, was an actual act of imitation of the Lord’s activities, and by virtue of that achievement both the states moved closer to become similar to God.

Folk dance of the Bulgarian Diaspora in the United States today is related to today's Bulgarian folk dance scene in Bulgaria at many levels. Folk dance activities in the United States (US) are initiated by people who belong to the so-called "mlada emigracia" (recent immigrants). These are Bulgarians who came to the US in the 1990s and later, and to a certain degree are still bound to the homeland. The majority of them are well settled and open to activities beyond their vocations and the expanding recreational folk dance movement in Bulgaria (and its driving forces) acts as a potent stimulus. Where US dance group leaders have choreographic training from Bulgaria one may observe connections to their previous professional experience in terms of repertoire and methodology. Inexperienced enthusiast-leaders, on the other hand, develop repertoire from sources distributed via media; this re-discovered Bulgarian dance repertoire gradually becomes the centrepiece of local community parties and celebrations.

Keywords: United States; Bulgaria; diaspora; repertoire; media

Настоящата работа представя приложението на математическия анализ като начин за четене на фолклора, аргументира значимостта му като метод за изучаване на историческите извори и показва града, описан в българските народни песни с мотив „Девойка спасява Малта“.
This article presents the application of mathematical analysis in reading folklore and argues for the significance of the method to study historical sources. This work also shows which is the city, described in the Bulgarian folk songs with a motif “A Virgin rescues Malta”.

Стаття присвячена дослідженню однієї з восьми нещодавно віднайдених свят-кових ікон з церковної колекції храму святого Стефана в Афінах. У роботі здійснено іконографічну атрибуцію, аналіз композиційних та стильових особливостей твору з метою визначення часу його створення та належності до певної іконописної школи. Ключові слова: ікона, атрибуція, Різдво Христове, Богородиця.

Gagavuzca, iki tipik Balkan dili olan Bulgarca
ve Rumence ile 700 yıl etkileşim halinde olmasının doğal bir neticesi olarak
zamanla Balkan dillerine ait bazı özellikleri bünyesinde geliştirmiş veya
onlara benzemiştir. Bunlardan biri de Gagavuzcada vurgusuz ünlü tarzında
bir ünlünün ortaya çıkmasıdır. Bu çalışmada Gagavuzcada vurgusuz ünlünün
varlığı araştırılacaktır

In late 1902, due to threats of Great Power intervention to Macedonia Sultan Abdulhamid set up General Inspectorate in Macedonia. Hüseyin Hilmi Paşa was assigned as general inspector. Although he made some ameliorations in the region, because of financial problems and foreign interventions, terorist actions of comitadjis who struggle for partition of Macedonia had not been prevented by 1908 when inspectorate was abolished. This paper examines, as tool of Balkans policy, Russia diplomatic missions’s relations with Bulgarian komitadjis. It points out that these relations, seem inconsistence each other, had continued between support and curbing.

L’immigration des bulgares dans le Principauté de Moldavie pendant la guerre russo-turque (1806-1812)

Au début du XIXe siècle la Péninsule des Balkans a continué d'être une arène de rivalités et de luttes pour influence entre les pouvoirs européennes, la Russie et l’Empire Austro-Hongrois, d'une part et l’Empire Ottoman, d’autre part. Ça, à son tour, a donné naissance à au phénomène d'émigration de la population des Balkans, qui a été envoyée aux principautés danubiennes: la Valachie et la Moldavie, ainsi que dans la banlieue sud de l'Empire Russe. L'un des migrations les plus importantes du Sud-Est de l'Europe est la délocalisation des terres bulgares au nord du Danube. Dans cet article, nous concluons que, dans la période des années 1806-1812, les actions militaires sur les terres bulgares, le pillage et la violence sur la population locale par des formations kirdzhaliev, les recherches de terrains disponibles pour l’établissement ont conduit à une délocalisation massive des bulgares dans les principautés danubiennes: la Moldavie et la Valachie. Dans le même temps, cette période est caractérisée par une politique délibérée de la Russie tsariste visant à attirer de nouveaux colons pour l'organisation des zones vides dans la banlieue sud de l'Empire Russe, mais la préférence est donnée aux bulgares parce qu'ils sont venus avec leurs propres outils, bétail et biens. Un rôle majeur dans ce phénomène est attribué aux diplomates russes et aux commandants militaires qui ont été dans les principautés danubiennes. Les privilèges donnés par le gouvernement impérial aux immigrants nouveaux arrivés, ont encouragé les bulgares restés sous le joug ottoman à s'établir au nord du Danube. Pourtant, les bulgares, ayant délocalisés dans la Principauté de Moldavie, se sont disposés de façon aléatoire aux monastères et sur les propriétés foncières. Ceux d'entre eux qui étaient riches, se sont installés dans les grandes villes. Á leur tour, les nouveaux arrivés bulgares ont senti le harcèlement du Divan et de la noblesse qui y voyaient comme bras de travail à bas prix, en essayant de les attacher de la terre. Cela a conduit au fait que les immigrants, déçus par les conditions proposées pour eux ont voulu de revenir dans leur patrie, tandis que les autres se sont déplacés vers les prairies vides de Bugeac. Les données d’archives montrent que pendant le printemps de l’année 1812, sur le territoire d’entre Prut et Dniestr, le nombre d’immigrants s’élevait à 87037 personnes ou 20316 familles.

Emigrarea bulgarilor în Principatul Moldovei în perioada războiului ruso-turc 1806-1812

La începutul secolului al XIX-lea, Peninsula Balcanică a continuat să fie o arenă de rivalitate şi luptă pentru influenţă între puterile europene, Rusia şi Imperiul Austro-Ungar pe de o parte şi Poarta pe de altă parte. Aceste realităţi, la rândul lor, au dat naştere fenomenului de emigrare a populaţiei din Balcani, care a fost direcţionată spre Principatele Dunărene: Ţara Românească şi Moldova, precum şi spre marginea de sud a Imperiului Rus.

Unul dintre cele mai importante şi masive valuri de migraţie din Europa de Sud-Est la nord de Dunăre l-a constituit strămutarea de pe pământurile bulgare care se aflau sub oblăduirea otomană. În articolul de faţă, autorul concluzionează că în perioada 1806-1812, cauzele emigrării au fost: operaţiunile militare în ţinuturile bulgăreşti, jafurile şi violenţele asupra populaţiei locale din partea forţelor separatiste militare turceşti, numite kirdjalii, căutarea unei regiuni cu condiţii prielnice desfăşurării unei activităţi economice. Toate cele enumerate mai sus au avut drept rezultat deplasarea masivă a bulgarilor în Principatele Române. În acelaşi timp, această perioadă se caracterizează printr-o politică a Rusiei ţariste îndreptate spre atragerea a cât mai mulţi colonişti în zonele de stepă care se aflau la periferia de sud a Imperiului Rus. În acest sens, administraţia rusă dădea preferinţă bulgarilor, care veneau cu unelte, animale şi propriile gospodării. Un rol major în această acţiune a fost atribuit diplomaţilor ruşi şi comandanţilor militari care se aflau în Principate.

Nou veniţii au fost încurajaţi şi prin numeroase privilegii care li se ofereau. Autorul articolului menţionează că, bulgarii care s-au mutat cu traiul în Principatul Moldovei au fost aranjaţi haotic pe terenurile bisericeşti şi cele ale marilor moşieri. Aceia dintre ei care erau mai bogaţi s-au stabilit în oraşele mari. Pe de altă parte, bulgarii nou veniţi au simţit asuprirea Divanului şi a boierilor, care vedeau în refugiaţi o mână de lucru ieftină, încercând să-i ataşeze la pământ. Acest lucru a condus la faptul că imigranţii, dezamăgiţi, doreau să se întoarcă în patria lor. Alţii se refugiau pe pământurile pustii ale Bugeacului. Datele de arhivă arată că, în primăvara anului 1812, pe teritoriul dintre Prut şi Nistru, numărul imigranţilor a ajuns la 87.037 de persoane sau 20.316 de familii.

The text discuss the question of human attitudes facing the miseries of war on the basis of an excellent piece of Byzantine rhetoric art from the third decade of 10th c. Throughout the first three chapters of the oration, concerning the peace treaty of 927 between Byzantium and Bulgaria, the author built up the image of war itself as well as of a suffering human who had become a witness to the violence inflicted to the soil, temples and villages, as well as and first of all to humans during war operations. And although that image was in many aspects a clichй of the Byzantine literature through multiplying the images of suffering, present in other similar works, it referred to the deeply rooted pattern of such feelings, based on the experience of many generations of Byzantines themselves and of the humankind in general. So, despite being, in some ways, a customary topos it reflected the possible or perhaps actual human experience of meeting with violence. The text present and characterize the attitudes and emotions which accompanied the Byzantine author he had experienced (or at least said he had), being a witness and hearing the relations of atrocities of a fratricidal war.