Slobodzeya district, 12 August. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Bessarabian Bulgarians from Pridnestrovie, Ukraine and Moldova have come to Parkany village for the fourth summer running. The traditional Megdan festival was held there on the Dniester bank. Megdan means youth rally in Bulgarian. The following article will tell you how Bulgarian traditions are preserved today.
We did not understand anything, but it was funny
In ancient times the Bulgarian youth gathered at a megdan. They sang songs, danced, joked. Today it can be compared to a disco. All people are welcome: young and adults; Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans. Uniting the nations is another goal of the festival. Therefore, its doors are open to everyone. Young visitors and local participants of the festival are staying overnight in tents. Older people or families with children attend the rally in the evening when a concert is held.
Yet rally participants have preserved many Bulgarian traditions. Guests were greeted by the hosts dressed in national costumes with bread and salt, and wine. The main dish of the evening is bannitsa. This is a very nourishing dish: there are a lot of eggs, butter and the best cottage cheese. Ikhniya - a Bulgarian dish made of potatoes and meat - was also treated at the festival.
Young people started the performance with jokes - a Bulgarian-style stand-up show. The language barrier did not stop us from laughing and having fun together with everyone. The language of dance was much clearer: girls in bright sarafans with ringing coins and beads on the headdress walked arm in arm with the guys also dressed in national costumes. The Bulgarian folklore music differs greatly from the Pridnestrovian one with the predominance of bagpipes and drums.
Guests Moldova, although they did not wear national costumes, managed to render the whole flavour of Bulgarian culture in a merry dance.
Valeria Petkova came to the rally on a direct flight from Bulgaria. The girl was born and spent her whole life in Sofia. Every summer she visits her relatives in Moldova. Parkany's Megdan is a mandatory destination of her trip. The girl is an excellent singer, and several years ago she took part in the X Factor TV show, where she sang the Moldavian song "Hora din Moldova".
"It's already my third time here. I'm very fond of the place. Megdans have not been held in Bulgaria for a long time, so I tell all my acquaintances about it. The atmosphere here is very friendly. I always find new friends. But every Bulgarian is identical in its own way because we all come from different countries. But in many respects we are the same," said Valeria Petkova.
They say that Megdan is a meeting place for good people. These meetings often result not only in new acquaintances but also in love. We were told confidentially that some participants had created families. They will tell their children about traditions and the importance to remember their roots.
