Strandzha Folklore

Strandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey. It is in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north, and the Black Sea to the east.

Inhabited by the Thracians in antiquity, Strandzha is an area with a large concentration of ruins of Thracian sanctuaries, sacrificial altars, dolmens, and other archaeological objects. Culturally, the Bulgarian part of Strandzha is known for the specific architecture that can be observed in Malko Tarnovo, Brashlyan, and most other villages, the rich folklore and distinctive rituals, such as nestinarstvo (barefoot dancing on live embers), that preserve pagan elements.

The book includes a dictionary of dialects and unfamiliar words, geographical names, bibliography, abstracts in Bulgarian, English, French and Russian. All songs have been recorded for decades by Kera Madjarova's son - Panayot Madjarov. The dialects of Eastern Thrace and the Strandzha language are preserved and reflected.

The authentic songs can be found HERE.