Three songs from villages around Velingrad, Bulgaria

NOTICE - I took this segment down because too many of you were downloading the videos. If you want copies, at least have the courtesy to ask, and say thank you. If you really need to see these videos, you can contact me.

Pashovo village

Taped in 1989. This is a re-creation of an "old time" Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim) wedding, where the bride is inspected and receives well-wishers. It was an improptu event, sparked by my arrival in the village earlier that day asking to meet singers and weavers. The host family dressed up their daughter as an old-time bride, and even hung a pile blanket on the wall as would have been done at a real wedding. Visitors came and put small textile presents, such as scarves, over the rug, and a small bunch of 'greenery' (flowers were not yet blooming) in the bride's waist. The singers on the left and middle are unmarried, and the singer on the right is married. They are singing a song which they say would have been sung at such an event where people gathered like this, or at a work party.

Kostandovo village

Taped in 1989. The two singers are local, settled Muslim Rom women. They are singing a local song which was part of the events surrounding a traditional wedding. The song describes a bride getting washed and dressed for her wedding. This was also taped unexpectedly. I was walking through the Rom quarter of the village with someone I knew, and the lead singer stopped me, asked me who I was, what I was doing there (I was clearly not local) and, when she heard I was interested in local singing, literally grabbed my arm and said "Come home with me!" She has a great love for her songs, and a real desire to share them. The second singer, her sister in law, was less enthusiastic, but no match for the force of her sister in law. I'm grateful.

Tsvetino village

Taped in 1989. I had help from the culture committee in Velingrad in getting to this village; I would not have been able to get this footage if I had to rely on the local transportation system. This was taped in a workshop for "Persian-style" (pile) carpets. I am indebted to Carol Silverman who first alerted me to look for singers in pile carpet workshops. I returned to several of these villages in the mid 1990's and these workshops were closing, as the girls and women were harming their hands from the constant repetetive tiny hand motions required to make each knot in the carpet, and they did not want to continue work which was hurting them. This song is a work song, and was very popular in the region at the time this was taped.