Култура

How long is the journey from a conversation in the neighborhood bar on a sunny autumn afternoon to the creation of a book? In the case of "Folklore Sketches from Chepinsko" this time it turned out to be long, but the book by Katyusha Kumanova and Georgi Kumanov has already come out of print as the second issue of the series "Tsepina" of the Historical Museum - Velingrad.
"On a sunny autumn afternoon, Katusha and I were sitting down for a cup of coffee in the neighborhood bar. We loved those meetings after work. Their atmosphere challenged us to make plans, to discuss ideas. Thus, in the exchange of thoughts on our favorite folklore and ethnographic topics, we created the idea of writing "Ethnography of Chepinsko". Our humble experience did not prevent us from dreaming, tossing up upcoming tasks. Fate had set a meeting with the inevitable, and these plans and tasks of ours remained out of our sight. After Katyusha left us without time, the first emotional reaction was to collect everything written by her and have it published as a separate book. Gradually, in the process of collecting all the published and handwritten materials, I returned to our old idea."
Thus, in the foreword, Georgi Kumanov returns to the birth of the idea and its new dimensions: he decides not to make the pretentious "Ethnography of Chepinsko", as for such an ambitious edition the efforts of a large author's collective are needed, but to gather between the covers of the book sketches - as preparation for a larger picture of the folklore and traditions in Chepinsko.
In the rich content of the book, readers of different ages and interests will be able to discover the significant topic for themselves. Here are just a few that give an idea of the diversity of the "esques": "Veda Slovena" and the Chepin region, the migrants in the Chepinska trough, cultural communications in the Rhodopes, modern times - cinema as an element of the emerging urban environment, legends and legends, folk songs from Chepinsko. The most powerful is the presence of the holidays typical of our region: how Babinden was celebrated in old Kamenitsa; where they threw the cross and what are the beliefs for its finding on Yordanovden; the green tree of Ramadan Bayryam in Draginovo; the forgotten tradition of St. Trifon Zarezan, St. Petka (The Living Source), St. Barbara; how to go "To the Happy" after the New Year. Here is the place of the biggest Christian holiday - Easter and the Easter written eggs from Velingrad. And special attention is given to the wedding and related traditions in our region.
The texts of the two authors are also different and this adds even more variety to the book: alongside the raw field recordings of songs and legends are reports at scientific forums, alongside the articles published in the local and national press are the materials of serious scientific publications. The chronology shows that the first songs recorded by Katyusha Kumanova are from 1981, and the last article by Gerogi Kumanov is from St. George's Day 2008. Here is the place to mention that the readers of "Tempo" know some of Georgi Kumanov's texts, as over the years many of his studies related to historical facts, holidays, the series "Legends and Traditions from the Chepin region" have been published on the pages of the newspaper.
"Folklore sketches from Chepinsko" contains rich and interesting photo material. A kind of joke to the reader are the two covers: on the first is an old photo of Ludgene (it shows the silhouette of the mosque that existed then), and on the last page is the first postcard "Greetings from the Chepin Baths", on which is repainted the same old photo.
The most accurate answer to the question of why there should be books like "Folklore Sketches from Chepinsko" are the words of Katyusha Kumanova from 1989, chosen instead of a conclusion: "One could not really love the place where he was born if he knows nothing about his past, if he does not cherish the memory of ancestors."
Elena Baeva