Welcome to Etropole - Bulgaria and to the 142nd edition of the Forum Song Contest (FSC).
Theme: ‘Bulgaria: The Magic of Christmas’
Winner FSC November 2020
Congratulations! ^^
Theme: ‘Bulgaria: The Magic of Christmas’
Winner FSC November 2020
Congratulations! ^^
The Host city for this FSC #142-edition is : Etropole - Bulgaria, a town in western Bulgaria, part of
Sofia Province. It is located 87 km north-east of Sofia and close to the northern slopes of the Balk
an Mountains (Stara Planina, a mountain range that is in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula)
in the valley of the Iskar River (a tributary of the Danube/Donau River, the longest river in Bulgaria)
The area was first settled , by the Thracian tribe of the Triballi , in the 7th or 6th century BC due to
its position as an important crossroad connecting the Danube River with Macedonia, and Thrace
close to two key Balkan passes. The forces of Philip II of Macedon (339 BC), Alexander the Great
(335 BC) , the Celts and the Roman legions all passed through the Etropole valley in ancient days.
The region developed as a centre of trade and economy, as evidenced by findings of Macedonian
and Greek coins, Greek ceramics, luxurious items and decorations. The ore ledges brought Saxon
miners to the town in the 16th century . They introduced the samokov hammer technology, & help
ed build the area as a centre of craftsmanship & mining , with gold, copper, silver & iron extracted.
Handicrafts such as iron-, gold- & coppersmithing and cutlery prospered. The economic upsurge
of the settlement aided the development of culture and education in the nearby Etropole Monast
ery in the period, where biblical and liturgical books were copied in a specific original calligraphic
style (a trad. visual writing-art using a brush) , of which 76 hand-written volumes were preserved.
A monastery school was established in 1613, and a public one (still monastery) followed in 1811
One of the first school buildings in Bulgaria was constructed in 1828-1830 by merchants and rich
craftsmen from Etropole. A revolutionary committee , part of Vasil Levski's Internal Revolutionary
Organization was founded in Etropole in 1870 to help the Bulgarian Liberation from Ottoman rule.
The town was liberated in 1877 by Russian forces under Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 (a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Orthodox
coalition) & served as a governing centre for the 40-day winter march of the Balkan Mountains of
the Imperial Russian Army (land force active from about 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917)
Political unrest led to a Bulgarian dictatorship from 1918 . After WW2 in 1946 a one-party peoples
republic was instituted . It fell into the Soviet sphere of influence under the leadership of Georgi Di
mitrov. The Communist Party was forced to give up its political monopoly in 1989 under the influe
nce of the Revolutions of 1989 & Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy
‘Bulgaria: The Magic of Christmas’
‘Christmas Traditions of Bulgaria’
Bulgaria has its Christmas traditions , & the many ways one can experience ‘The Magic of Christ
mas’ . In Bulgaria , Christmas is celebrated on 25th December , like in Anglo-American countries
( while other European countries often celebrate Christmas on 24th, Christmas Eve ) . Many cou
ntries in Eastern Europe do celebrate Christmas on 7th January, as most Orthodox Churches do
use old Julian Calendar , but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar , so Ch
ristmas is on the 25th December. For many Bulgarians the preparations for Christmas start with
Advent ('coming of Christ') which lasts 40 days in the Orthodox Church , & starts 15th November
One Bulgarian legend is that Mary started her labour on 'Ignazhden', 20th December (St. Ignatius
of Antioch's Day) & she gave birth on Christmas Eve, but the birth of Jesus wasn't announced 'till
Christmas Day. The 20th is also the traditional new year in Bulgarian culture. It's traditional to eat
a special ring shaped cake called 'kolaks' on this day it's for many an essential part of the season
Christmas Eve (called 'Budni Vecher') is a very important day & the main Christmas meal is eaten
in the evening of Christmas Eve. The meal should traditionally have an odd number of dishes in it
(normally 7, 9 or 11) , & an odd number of people sitting around the table. (Salt, pepper and sugar
can count as separate dishes). There's a special round , decorated loaf of bread called pita which
has a coin baked in it. If you find it , you're meant to have good luck for the next year. The bread is
normally cut by the oldest person at the meal & they hand it around the table to everyone present.
Following the Christmas Eve meal some people will go to a Midnight Mass service . You might al
so hear Koledari ( carol singers ), which are normally young men who go carol singing dressed in
traditional clothing. The singing can only start after midnight. The singers often go round singing
all night , so the sun never catches them . When they reach a house they do sing 'the house song'
praising & 'wishing the house' well. Having the Koledari visit your home is meant to be good luck.
The songs are often in two parts with half of the singers singing the song and then the other half
repeating it back . After the singing , the head of the house'll give the Koledari food to thank them
for singing. The special foods include 'Koledni gevreci' (round buns) and 'banitsa' (cheese-pastry)
Christmas Trees are popular in Bulgaria , & towns are decorated with Christmas lights like we oft
en see in WesternEuropean countries. Some people will still have a traditional Yule Log (normally
from an oak, elm or pear tree) known as a 'badnik' or 'budnik' , which is brought into the house on
Christmas Eve . Santa Claus (Father Christmas) is known as 'Dyado Koleda' , which means Grand
-father Christmas . And in Bulgarian the Christmas greeting , Merry Christmas , is 'Vesela Koleda'.
Etropole as a town has occupied a significant place in the history of many events in the region ov
er the years , also in the liberation of the Bulgarian people during the Renaissance. The people of
the region subsequently also took part in the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the Balkan Wars, the First and
Second World Wars. As a result , then Etropole region has many historical sites and monuments.
Etropole of today is a charming little town that is welcoming and hospitable with amenities for to
urists and locals alike. There are shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes. For those who wish for big
city leisure Sofia is not that far away. The valley (with altitude 550 m) where the town sits , is surr
ounded by majestic mountain peaks ; Zvezdets , Shindarnika, Athanasius, Mara Gigya and others.
Places worth seeing in Etropole: the clockwork tower of Etropole built in 1710 is one of the oldest
in Bulgaria. It originally served as a defensive structure until in 1821 a master builder by the name
of Dido reconstructed it as a clock tower. With its height at about 20 metres it stands above most
of the buildings in the small town. The clockwork tower is one of the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria
The Etropole Monastery, also known as Varovitets, is located 5 km (3 mi) from the town. It is a Bu
lgarian Orthodox monastery , that was founded in the 12th or 13th century. The monastery is also
the home of the spectacular Etropole Waterfall “Varovitets”. The History Museum in Etropole laun
ched its first exibition in 1958. 10 years later (1968) the 2nd exibition of the museum was opened
The Museum of Etropole , is still housed in its restored building . The building was constructed in
the period 1853-1870. This is the second public building in Etropole after the Clock Tower (1710)
that has survived to this day . The 10 halls of the museum tell about the past of the Etropole Regi
on. The village of Lopyan is located in the Etropole Municipality near the slopes of the mountains
It is one of the oldest villages in the region and its story began at the time of the Thracians, when
the territory was inhabited by the tribe Luposi , from where name of the village most likely origins
Three kilometres from Lopyan, are the remains of the Thracian fortress Chertigrad (built in 4th or
3rd Centuries BC and probably functioned until the 6th century AD), now declared an historic ruin
Also worth seeing are: the waterfall, the Eagle stone , Grohotaka , Kozi Dol, Belikasha, Bachiyshte,
Crow water , and Dolls. Buried in soft and pleasant greenery , and among beautiful meadows and
mountains, refreshed by the clear sparkling streams, the Etropole area provides wonderful places
for recreation , relaxation & visitor enjoyment , all amidst a welcoming & generous local populace.
Etropole, furthermore, celebrates traditional holidays, and also festivals of which the yearly youth
festival MOGA FEST (see more details further below) is one of the most popular and famous.The
town is also one of sport with FC Chavdar, its local Bulgarian football club founded in 1922. They
currently compete , in the 3rd tier of Bulgarian football. Their home stadium , is Chavdar Stadium.