Christmas Celebrations of the Bulgarian Sunday Schools in New York
30 December 2024 News
On December 15 and 22, 2024, the Bulgarian Sunday Schools in New York – “Gergana” and “Hristo Botev”, two of Bulgaria’s largest educational institutions in the American Northeast, celebrated Christmas with concerts. At both events, children, together with parents and teachers, filled the halls of the American high schools, which provide them with facilities for Sunday classes in Bulgarian.
The two celebrations were similar, including a number of folklore performances of dances and songs and aimed to introduce children to Bulgarian traditions associated with celebrating the Nativity of Christ. The presence of carolers (koledari) and Santa Claus at both locations, who distributed gifts to the children, including books in Bulgarian, was noteworthy. Traditionally, the Gergana School and Choir placed the emphasis on performances by its musical theater group for children and its mixed choir (including many parents), led, respectively, by actress Gina DiDonato and conductor Krasimira Ivancheva, and the Hristo Botev School – by its folklore ensemble under the direction of choreographer Galina Sakharova. The youngest students actively participated in the program and entertained the guests. The celebration, as is tradition, ended with a “treat” with Bulgarian dishes and folk dances.
The children, parents, guests and teachers from the two Sunday schools were again greeted by Angel Angelov, Consul General in New York, who shared his experience from previous celebrations in the city that he had attended as a parent, and referred to those features that turn Christmas for Bulgarian children in New York into a holiday that goes beyond its Christian roots and is essentially a Bulgarian holiday, connecting them to their kinship roots with Bulgaria.
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