Historical Bulgarian of the Week - Vasil Levski:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
If you are a Bulgarian, a member of Peace Corps Bulgaria and/or moderately aware of Bulgarian History, you already know who this man is.
Vasil Levski (in Bulgarian is "Васил Левски") is by far the most popular figure in all of Bulgaria. His name is known by both young and old. Stories of his life and times are commonly told as his legacy is passed down from generation to generation.
I would argue that no more famous Bulgarian has ever lived or will ever live. Vasil Levski is the mother of all Bulgarian Historical figures, and I embark on this grave quest, wishing to do his legacy justice I need you dear readings to wish me health, happiness and luck!
To further explain how big of a deal writing a post on Levski is to the non-Bulgarian readers I will parallel him to an American Historical figure. Abe Lincoln? No, too honest (or was he?!?!)...
and too beardy!
Kennedy? Nope, not revolutionary enough. 
(Example: Would a revolutionary be hanging out on his sail boat alone the coast of Maine? I most certainly think not!)
Ben Franklin? Nah, too wimpy. 
...and plus, he wanted the turkey to be the national bird?!?!
George W. Bush? 
(Picture taken in 2003 aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln) Not smart enough, but the name is closer. Try again.
George Washington? Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
If I had to chose the closest American historical figure to Bulgaria's Levski, I would have to pick George Dub-yah! Well at least I think so.
No Levski did not chop down any Cherry Trees...
However, they both had long, lasting legacies. Their names are synonymous with the histories of their countries. They both sacrificed as much as they could for their respective countries and in return will be taught about in schools until the end of time.
Not to mention that they both have everything possible named after them. For example George Washington has the Washington Monument, as well as...
...the greatest of all 50 states, and another famous thing named after George Washington is...
...Denzel Washington...
And for Mr. Levski?
One of the Bulgarian National Football teams...
Too many statues to count...
The largest stadium in Bulgaria (Where I will see Mettallica play during the month of July!)
...Levski has even inspired Bart Simpson (Even if this is in reference to the Football team I still had to post it as I found it extremely amusing)!
...In the 1990's he graced the 1,000 Leva Bill...
...he has been figured on postage stamps...
...and of course, in a country filled with statues, he has graced hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of statues...
Levski names also hit me close to home as my work is located on Vasil Levski Street and the football field that doubles as a baseball field for my baseball team is at Vasil Levski High School and so on, and so on it goes...
Vasil Levski, was born under the name "Vasil Ivanov Kunchev" (or "Васил Иванов Кунчев" in Bulgarian) on either 18 July or 6 July in the year of 1837 in the city of Karlovo, Bulgaria (Sidenote- Blogs from Peace Corps Volunteers from Karalvo can be found here; Cindy McCoy and Eric Wiley).
What did he do that was so special? So incredible that years after his death his name is mentioned every where? One web-site in brief had this to say, "[Levski was a] revolutionary, ideologist, strategist and theoretician of the Bulgarian national revolution and leader of the struggle for liberation from Ottoman rule".
Another web-site mentioned his love for Bulgarian and Bulgarians love for him, saying "All Bulgarians have loved and love him unconditionally. The doors of every Bulgarian house were open for him at all times. He had no close friends, no family, no home, and no personal life. His only thought his only love, his only passion was Bulgaria".
Lets start at the beginning...
As I mentioned before young Vasil was born in Karlovo in 1837. At the time Karlovo was than a "prosperous center of craft-industry". He earned two nicknames from a very young age that will forever be associated with his name.
One is "The Deacon" because at age 24 (1861) he took the vows of... yeah you guessed it, a Deacon. However, "the lot in store for the young Bulgarian was obviously not the one of a monk living in resignation to the world". Apparently not for religious reasons, as he continued to mention God in his writings until the day he died, he fled to Serbia after one year (1862) to join the liberation movement.
The other was his new last name, "Levski" which means "like a lion" in Bulgarian, and most likely the reason why lions are one of Bulgarias national symbols even being located on the Bulgarian Coat of Arms:
Some kids here have even told me that the country of Bulgaria ITSELF is shaped like a lion:
How he inspired the name "Levski" was told by one web-site really well, "Vasil had got the nickname Levski during his service in the First Bulgarian legion (...) in Belgrad. One day during a training, the young legionnaires were jumping over a deep ditch. Like a lion, Vassil had jumped the farthest... [It was said,] 'That is a Levskii jump!' ". True or not, it is a great story and I like it!
Apparently Levski was very involved in the assult as a few web-sites claimed him to have, "participated in all (or "almost all" depending on the source) Bulgarian armed assaults against the Ottoman Empire" from 1862-1868. After that until 1872 Levski, came up with the idea, organized and helped to build the Internal Revolutionary Organization (IRO).
Levskis idea was to make the revolution truly a Bulgarian one. He wanted all of the soldiers to be Bulgarians and Bulgarians only. This was because foreign involvement had only been shown to bring "trouble and failure to the national revolutionary cause".
To do so Levski, and others, toured Bulgarian towns and villages to form a network of revolutionary committees to equip the men in their regions. These people were "usually peasants and craftsmen" by trade and they were taught how to use weapons and they were trained to fight.
During that same time he charted out his ideas for Bulgaria's future political system and his wish was for a democratic republic, one he called, "pure and holy", that would be based along the principles of the Human and Citizen Rights Charter of the French Revolution because he believed in the principles of freedom of expression, speech, association and religion. He made sure to reiterate that Bulgarian revolutionaries were fighting against the Sultan's government, not against the Turkish people and/or their religion and he had no tolerance for corruption (no comment on the current state of the Bulgarian Government... none).
In late 1872 Levski feel into the hands of the Turkish authorities. He was put on trial and sentenced to death by hanging. On 18 February 1873 Vasil Levski was hung.
The IRO committee that he had set up continued to function after his death. In 1876 there was the "April Uprising" which failed but lead the way for a war between Russian and Turkey called apropriately enough the Russo-Turkish War which took place in 1877-78 and eventually ended the "Turkish Yolk" after nearly 500 years.
Vasil Levski has inspired books and poems and poems such as the famous one by Historical Bulgarian of the Week #1 Hristo Botev, called "The Hanging of Vasil Levski". Recently one newspaper referred to this poem as having, "been recited and quoted at various occasions and every child knows of 'The Hanging of Vasil Levski' - one of the strongest poems of both past and present".
Here is that famous poem, translated into English:
The Hanging of Vasil Levski
O my Mother, dear Motherland
Why weep you so mournfully, so plaintively?
And you, raven, cursed bird -
On whose grave croak you with such a dread?
Ah, I know - I know you're weeping, Mother
Because you are a dismal slave,
Because your holy voice, Mother
Is a helpless voice - a voice in the wilderness.
Weep! There, near the edge of Sofia town
Stretches - I saw it - a dismal gallows
And one of your sons, Bulgaria
Hangs from it with a terrible power.
The raven croaks dreadfully, ominously
Dogs and wolves howl in the fields,
Old people pray to God with fervor
Women weep, children cry.
Winter croons its evil song,
Gales sweep thistle across the field
And cold and frost and hopeless weeping
Heep sorrow on your heart.
Translated by © Thomas Butler. All rights reserved!
Thank you all for reading. It has been a lot of work compiling this weeks entry but for a figure as important as Levski I knew it had to put in some time. I hope that I did the man justice. Take care everybody.
-Kashkaval Pane
Some of the many Web-Sites were I found information:
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=90525
http://www.answers.com/topic/vasil-levski
http://www.bgglobe.net/index.php?l=1&s=-2535
For the Web-Site for the Vasil Levski Museum (located in Karlovo, Bulgaria) in English CLICK HERE
Posted byPavel at 9:42 PM 3 comments
Labels: Bulgarian History
Bulgarian Graffiti of the week! - First post by the 1st FEMALE Blogstar!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Before I begin my post about Bulgarian graffiti, or some might say the unapreciated art of our time, I want to shed some light on a fabulous fact...........I am the first FEMALE voice for the B22 Blogstars! Yes, from now on there will be a female point of view...........a new perspective! Ok boys you invited me and here I am to dish the dirt on vandalized property and the colorful Krylon that adorns elementry schools, national monuments and the public transportation of our new home.
Rather then genitals with human facial like features, I think I'd rather start out my first post with something more positive. But first, there were a few works of art I found around town not really worth posting on but grabbed my interest enough to take a photo and ask WHY?
Karlovo, the perfect peace corps site I like to call home. The home of Kristo Prodonof, Vasil Levski, Botev and............Love? Yes, Love! Our Youth Parliament has a tradition of creating a project to display in town every year on Valentine's Day. Last year the students did a little graffiti of their own. Pink hearts were painted along a romantic path next to the waterfall that is normally inhabited by promiscuous teenagers and the ocassional stray farm animal. There was the ocassional broken heart or lovers initials painted within a heart. Its not often you see appropriate graffiti or some that actually beautify a neighborhood, and in this case a community park.For my next posts I want to include the topic of Bulgarian Architecture! If your looking for stories on Krylon or marble and concrete gone wrong..........come take a look see!
Graffiti can make for a nice companion!
Harley Davidson isnt even spelled right but what got me thinking was that I have never seen a Bulgarian "biker."
Posted byCindy Lou at 5:41 PM 1 comments
pop! of the week: Balkan Beat Box
Monday, March 31, 2008
Ok, I know that I promised something about mafia and chalga, but that will have to wait, as the story still develops. Today, I will expand on the theme of balkanization of western pop music that I started with the Shantel post a while back. This band, Balkan Beat Box are a combination of people from New York and Israel, but they are mad influenced by balkan elements. Most notably is the use of horns that are most commonly associated with the Roma (gypsy) tradition here in these parts. That brings us to this clip here: Bulgarian Chicks. It uses a traditional Bulgarian folk song juxtaposed against Roma music with western beats. What do you think?
The best song of the newest album, Nu Med, is called Hermetico:
Posted byshizzaun at 9:11 PM 0 comments
Interview with a B-22 of the Week
Sunday, March 30, 2008
> What led you to join the Peace Corps?
> WELL, AFTER COLLEGE I WORKED A YEAR FOR A COUNSELING FIRM AND JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I WAS DOING ANYTHING WORTHWHILE FOR HUMANITY. I DECIDED THAT I WAS AT A GOOD POINT IN MY LIFE TO COMPLETELY DEDICATE MYSELF TO A CAUSE OR TO A PEOPLE. THERE WERE ALSO A COUPLE OF SELFISH REASONS, TOO...I WANTED TO LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE AND NEW WAY OF LIFE, AND I WAS ALSO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT LIVING A MORE UNMATERIALISTIC (IS THAT A WORD?) LIFE...
> What were your initial reactions to hearing you would be going to Bulgaria?
> I REMEMBER THE DAY THAT THE BIG PACKAGE CAME. I CALLED MY DAD OVER AND HE OPENED A BOTTLE OF WINE AND WE WERE LIKE TWO LITTLE KIDS ON CHRISTMAS DAY. I HELD MY BREATH, RIPPED OPEN THE PACKAGE AND AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE SAME CONFUSED LOOK ON OUR FACES WE SAID, "BULGARIA?!" IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY MY DAD'S, "I'LL GOOGLE IT."
> Have these desires been met? Do you feel that your Peace Corps experience is
> fulfilling the reasons you wished to join?
> I THINK WE ALL HAD THESE ROMANTICIZED DREAMS ABOUT JOINING PEACE CORPS, LIVING IN HUTS, NOT BATHING FOR WEEKS, AND THAT KIND OF THING. THE TRUTH IS (AND I THINK WE HAVE ALL REALIZED THIS) BULGARIA JUST ISN'T THAT PEACE CORPS. WE HAVE A WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF CHALLENGES, BUT THEY ARE CHALLENGES NONETHELESS. THIS IS A DIFFERENT WORLD FOR ME AND I'M TAKING FROM IT WHAT I CAN TAKE AND HOPEFULLY WILL LEAVE WITH IT THE BEST OF ME THAT I CAN LEAVE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
> What exactly do you do?
WORK WISE I HELP THE CULTURAL CENTER AND INDIVIDUALS IN THE VILLAGE GENERATE IDEAS FOR PROJECTS AND THEN HELP THEM FIND FUNDING SOURCES. FOR EXAMPLE, I'M WORKING WITH A FEW LADIES AT THE MOMENT TO START UP A
YOUNG MOTHER'S CLUB AND WE'RE CONTACTING HEALTH SPECIALISTS, NUTRITIONISTS, AND CHILD EXPERTS TO COME FOR A SERIES OF SEMINARS. WE
ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF PROJECTS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON THAT INVOLVE THE
LIBRARY, AND THE TRADITIONAL DANCE GROUP. I ALSO TEACH ENGLISH CLASSES FOR ALL AGES AT THE SCHOOL AND TEACH A BALLET CLASS FOR 20 GIRLS FROM THE LOCAL SCHOOL.
I WAS ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED TO WORK AT THE CULTURAL CENTER. BECAUSE MY
VILLAGE IS SO SMALL I WORK WITH EVERY ORGANIZATION IN IT. I SPLIT MY
TIME BETWEEN THE CULTURAL CENTER, SCHOOL, KINDERGARTEN, AND LOCAL
MUNICIPALITY. I ONLY WORK WITH ONE WOMAN AT THE CULTURAL CENTER WHO SERVES AS THE LIBRARIAN, CULTURAL CENTER DIRECTOR AND MUSEUM CURATOR. I HAVE BETWEEN 30-40 STUDENTS IN ALL IN MY ENGLISH CLASSES, AND ABOUT 10 KINDERGARTENERS WHO, BY THE WAY ARE COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH "HEAD& SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES."
> oK, SO A TYPICAL WEEK IS LIKE THIS.....
MONDAY I WORK FROM THE SCHOOL WHERE WE ARE WORKING ON A SORT OF TOWN
TWINNING PROJECT WITH THE DIRECTOR AND ALSO TEACH 5 CLASSES OF
ENGLISH.
TUESDAY I AM AT THE CULTURAL CENTER USUALLY HELPING MY COUNTERPART
WRITE GRANTS OR LOOK FOR FUNDING SOURCES FOR THE LIBRARY.
WEDNESDAY BACK AT THE SCHOOL WITH A REPEAT OF MONDAY
THURSDAY I AM AT THE KINDERGARTEN IN THE MORNING AND THE AFTERNOON I
USUALLY MEET WITH THE WOMEN'S GROUP OR HELP AT THE MUNICIPALITY WITH
AN ECO-TOURISM PROJECT THEY ARE WORKING ON.
FRIDAY I'M BACK AT THE CULTURAL CENTER WHERE I TEACH BALLET IN THE AFTERNOONS.
ON THE WEEKENDS AND IN THE EVENINGS I TRY AND GET TO KNOW MY COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF WORK A LITTLE BETTER. I REALLY ENJOY COOKING WITH A FEW OF THE LITTLE GIRLS WHO LIVE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, GOING ON WALKS WITH SOME OF THE WOMEN TO GATHER NETTLE, LEARNING EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT SHEEP, AND GARDENING.
> Tell us something that you often tell your friends or family back home about
> what you are doing (work-related)?
> I USUALLY TELL THEM ABOUT THE WOMEN'S CLUB WE ARE STARTING BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT AND FEEL COULD REALLY HAVE A LONG LASTING IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY. I ALSO TALK ALOT ABOUT THE BALLET CLASSES BECAUSE THOSE GIRLS ARE REALLY INTO IT AND I JUST LOVE THAT!
>Is it possible to describe your town in reference to any movies, songs, or
other common pop-culture markers that would help us identify with where you
are at?
>YEAH, DID YOU EVER SEE THE TRUMAN SHOW? I KIND OF GET THE FEELING THAT SOMEWHERE THERE IS A TELEVISION AUDIENCE LAUGHING THEIR HEADS OFF AT ME...LIKE EVERYONE IS IN ON THIS JOKE AND I JUST DON'T GET IT HAHA. THAT KIND OF SUMS UP MY LIFE HERE.
> In contrast, is there a song that reminds you of home?
EVERY TIME I HEAR "GONE TO CAROLINA" BY JAMES TAYLOR I WANT TO EITHER CRY OR SMILE OR SOMETIMES BOTH. SO JUST IN CASE I TOOK IT OFF MY PLAYLIST.
> Where are you from? How is it different from where you are now?
>I'M FROM WHAT I USED TO CALL A SMALL TOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA, MURPHY. THERE ARE DIFFERENCES, SURE...IT'S WAY BIGGER THAN MY VILLAGE, NOT AS MUCH LIVESTOCK AND ALL THAT MESS, BUT WHAT IS REALLY DIFFERENT IS THE MENTALITY. HERE EVERYONE IS REALLY CONCERNED WITH WHAT THE OTHER IS DOING. IN MY TOWN IT JUST SIMPLY ISN'T LIKE THAT...WE HAVE A SORT OF "TO EACH HIS OWN" MINDSET. HERE IT'S MORE LIKE "TO EACH HIS OWN..AND HIS, AND HERS, AND THIERS, TOO..."
> What animal are you most likely to see in your town?
> EVERY SINGLE DAY I SEE COWS, WILD DOGS, CATS, SHEEP, GOATS, CHICKENS, RABBITS, HORSES, AND A DUCK THAT MY NEIGHBOR HAS AS A PET.
I hear a lot of interesting thoughts on food from different PCVs. Tell me what you think.
> FOOD...HOLY COW, I FEEL LIKE OUR LIVES HERE REVOLVE AROUND FOOD. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO GROHOTNO EVERYONE WAS REALLY CONCERED ABOUT ME. FOR SOME REASON THEY GOT THE IDEA THAT I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO COOK, OR TAKE CARE OF MYSELF SO EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR EVERY SINGLE MEAL A COUPLE OF FAMILIES WOULD BRING ME FOOD OR INVITE ME OVER...IT WAS STARTING TO GET RIDICULOUS. I DECIDED THAT IF I STARTED COOKING MYSELF AND TAKING IT TO THEM I COULD SORT OF HEAD THEM OFF! SO NOW EVERYTIME I MAKE DINNER I ALWAYS MAKE ENOUGH FOR ONE OR TWO MORE PEOPLE TO SORT OF SHOW THEM THAT I CAN DO IT...AND PLUS IT'S A COOL WAY TO SHARE AMERICAN RECIPES WITH THE NEIGHBORS...PS SUGAR COOKIES WERE A HUGE HIT! BUT, BESIDES THAT, I'VE FOUND THAT A REALLY GOOD WAY TO INTEGRATE WITH ALOT OF THE WOMEN IN MY VILLAGE IS TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN LOCAL DISHES. SO, NOW WHEN I GO NA GOSTI INSTEAD OF JUST GOING IN AND SITTING DOWN, THEY INVITE ME EARLY TO TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE'LL BE HAVING THAT NIGHT. MY FAVORITE LOCAL DISH SO FAR DEFINATELY HAS TO BE SERMI...IT'S BASICALLY JUST RICE ROLLED INTO CABBAGE BUT I'M TOTALLY ADDICTED. AS FOR AMERICAN FOOD, I REALLY REALLY REALLY MISS CHAI LATTES, SOY MILK, AND SALSA...NOT TOGETHER OF COURSE.
> How do you feel you have been most useful to your community?
> IT'S REALLY EARLY SO I'M NOT SURE HOW TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW, THERE IS THIS GROUP OF ABOUT 7 BABA'S WHO HANG OUT AND KNIT IN THIS ONE PLACE MOST EVERYDAY. I KNOW WE ALL HAVE BABA STORIES, BUT BARE WITH ME. I TRY TO GET OUT THERE EVERY SATURDAY TO SIT AND TALK WITH THEM FOR ABOUT AN HOUR...THEY LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THIER FAMILIES WHO LIVE WHEREVER, AND ABOUT THIER SPOUSES WHO HAVE PASSED ON, AN
D JUST ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL...SOMETIMES I THINK THEY JUST ENJOY TALKING TO SOMEONE AND SHARING THIER LIVES WITH SOMEONE. THAT KIND OF GOES FOR EVERYONE HERE. THEY ARE ALL REALLY EAGER TO SHARE WITH ME EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE HERE. I THINK MY INTEREST REASSURES THEM THAT LIFE HERE IS GOOD, AND UNIQUE, AND INTRIGUING EVEN THOUGH AT TIMES IT CAN BE HARD. SO...AT THE MOMENT MAYBE THAT?> How do you feel your community has been most useful to you?
> OH MY GOODNESS, I COULDN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN ALL OF THE WAYS THAT MY COMMUNITY HAS HELPED ME OUT. I MEAN THERE ARE THE OBVIOUS THINGS...LIKE WHEN I GOT MY HUGE TRUCK LOAD OF WOOD AND THE MEN VOLUNTEERED TO CHOP IT AND THE WOMEN CAME OUT AND HELPED ME STACK IT, OR THE OVERSTOCK OF TURLITSI (SLIPPERS) BECAUSE I'LL "FREEZE TO DEATH" WITHOUT THEM. BUT, MORE THAN ANYTHING WHEN I'M FEELING DISCOURAGED OR HOMESICK THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE HERE TO LISTEN OR TO HELP ME TAKE MY MIND OFF OF IT.
> At this point in your service, what do you look forward to bringing back
> with you to the States?
> BRINGING BACK WITH ME? HA! DO YOU REMEMBER THE BAGGAGE THAT I CAME WITH?!?!?! NO SERIOUSLY, I'M EXCITED ABOUT GIUVECH BOWLS, AND I GOT THIS COOL BLANKET THING THAT GOES OVER MY BED WHEN IT SERVES AS MY COUCH BY DAY, MY BABA SOCKS, I SHOULD PROBABLY START SHIPPING THINGS HOME NOW....
> What one thing do you wish you had now that you do not have?
> A PET. I REALLY WANT AN INDOOR CAT, BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE THE SPACE OR THE TIME...IT'S A SHAME.
> What is your favorite TV show? AT THE MOMENT WE ARE LOVING "MUSIC IDOL" GO SHANEL!
> Are there any hobbies that a Bulgarian has introduced you to? Tell us about it.
> What did you use to do in the states during your free-time that you cannot
> do now but wish you could?
> I REALLY MISS GOING TO THE GYM, AND I ALSO MISS GOING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAYS. BUT, MORE THAN ANYTHING I MISS WAKING UP ON SATURDAY MORNINGS AND GOING TO MY FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP WITH MY FRIENDS IN MY SWEATS AND FLIP FLOPS...
> What activity do you find yourself doing now that you most wish you could
> share with a friend/family member back home
> I REALLY WANT MY FAMILY TO SEE A WEDDING OR A BABY SHOWER HERE. THEY'RE JUST REALLY ELABORATE AND ALWAYS INVOLVE HORO. YOU CAN JUST NEVER GO WRONG WHEN HORO IS INVOLVED.
Posted byWil Dalton at 11:01 AM 3 comments
