Videoholica
It was a real pleasure to meet Neno Belchev and Pavlina Mladenova who are behind the Varna International short film festival called Videoholica. The Festival takes place across numerous location in Varna. The picture is of the opening night in the courtyard of the archeological museum.
Hopefully we can have a screening in the Village at one point in the future as well.
Martinichki Celebrations
The Martinichki celebrations are in the beginning of March. Red and white braisletts are worn as a good luck charm for a succesfull time ahead. The are taken off when the storks arrive – a symbol of the arrival of spring. The braisletts are then fixed to trees and bushes.
All it needs is a match
Marin helped cutting our grass and dumped it all on the far side of the land where it had dried in several decrete piles. I asked him to take it away and finish the job expecting he comes on moves it. A short while later the land was on fire. A very direct solution.
Gift economy
The village has an active gift economy. In passing I offered my neighbor one of the beers I had bought in the shops. He was sitting on the bench outside his house enjoying the evening sun and it felt like the perfect beer moment.
5 minutes later his grandson knocked on my door giving us an old beer bottle filled with fresh sheeps milk. These kind of exchanges happen on a daily basis. Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers, eggs, all fresh and seasonal produce that is growing in the gardens is being swapped and traded.
This land was a vineyard
Ivan came to visit us briefly and for the first time in ten (or more years)he stepped food on the land again. His friends used to live here and he has font memories drinking and talking together. He remembered the many vines that grew on the land. “all this was full of vines”. Its all gone now and only a few fruit trees are left.
Russian roulette
Dara sitting on Ivan’s new toilet. The old one caved in onitself and disappeared into the ground. Luckily no one was using it at the time. The story was told with a lot of laughter.
Bees and Honey
Donka and Gregory (or Donna and George as they introduced themselves to me) have 50 bee hives in their garden and are one of the places in the village where you can buy fresh honey. If I understood correctly they also sell their honey to a company in Germany. Donka and Gregory are pensioners and split their time between their home in Neofit Rilski and Varna.
Many people in the village have connections to Varna, often their children have moved their and return during weekends and holidays. Or they share their live between the two places.
History is the new monument
This is what replaced the old, rusty, abstract socialist sculpture in the heart of the village. Donated by a local enterprise it gives a brief historical account of the village. Its origin, its fertile ground and name changes across the ages.
At the moment I only have a German translation but an English one is to follow shortly.
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Informationstafel
Das Dorf Neofit Rilski liegt in einer Ebene ohne Waldgebiete mit fruchtbarem Land und Wiesen für die Tierzucht. Es befindet sich 35 km entfernt von Varna, 7 km von Devnia und 8 km von Vetrino. Das Dorf wurde zur Zeit des Zweiten Bulgarischen Staates gegründet und befand sich zunächst in der Gegend „Iurtluka“.
Das älteste bekannte Dokument über den Name des Dorfes ist vom 1573, als es Kurtlu Beg (gesegneter Ort) hieß. Zwei Jahrhunderte später, im 1767, wird es Kurtlu Bei, wegen des fruchtbaren Bodens und Zuchtwiesen, genannt. Seit 1934 heißt das Dorf Neofit Rilski.
Das Klima ist mildkontinental, der Boden ist mit dem höchsten Humusgehalt Bulgariens, geeignet für den Anbau jeglicher landwirtschaftlicher Sorten. Aus ökologischen Gesichtspunkt entsprechen der Boden, Luft und Wasser den hygienischen Standards.
Im Dorf ist infrastrukturell entwickelt, es gibt Lebensmittelläden und Industriewarenläden, eine Post, ein Gesundheitszentrum mit Arzt rund um die Uhr. Immer mehr Familien aus Varna bevorzugen das Dorf für Ihre Erholung, weil die Gegend ruhig und sauber und nur 20 Minuten von Varna entfernt ist.
Die Kirche „heiliger Erzengel Michail“ wurde in dem Zeitraum zwischen 1866-68 erbaut und 21.11.1868 eingeweiht. Seitdem wird an diesem Tag der kirchliche Feiertag mit Dorffest gefeiert. Das Kulturzentrum Hristo Botev wurde am 11.05.1905 gegründet und verfügt über eine reiche Büchersammlung und trägt traditionell zur Bildung bei.
Quelle: Boris Mitev: Neofit Rilski und seine Bewohner
Gates seem to be getting bigger
Not sure if this is a local trend but it seems that a lot of people are building larger and more glamorous gates in the village. The little tiled roof is also en vogue.
