vp photo journal

Pre-election moods

2011-05-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 9 May 2011

For Old Times' Sake

2011-05-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

One of the few old-time movie theatres in Sofia, May 5th, 2011

Reminiscences of the old times, 1 May 2010

2010-05-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

Maternity and newborn photography by my friend Pepita Photography

2010-04-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

Pepita Photography specializes in the photography of kids, newborns and babies as well as of expecting moms. You can see ample samples of her quality work online: just visit the link for her babies gallery or her children gallery.
You can also follow Pepita on her photography blog, where she regularly discusses and posts examples of her work.

Eid al-Adha Muslim Feast

2008-12-08T04:36:00.000-08:00

Sofia, 8 December 2008

Metallica rocks in town

2008-07-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 25 July 2008

Portrait of a Korean dancer

2008-07-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 12 July 2008

A South Korean folk dancer is pictured backstage on a hot summer day, during the 12th edition of the International Folk Festival Vitosha 2008 in the Bulgarian capital.

Orthodox Miracle

2008-07-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

Bulgarian Orthodox nun attends an open-air mass in front of Alexander Nevski cathedral in Sofia , as the three most sacred and miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary from the monasteries of Bachkovo, Troyan and Rila, are displayed together in Bulgarian capital.

Heart in Sofia

2008-02-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

14 February 2008
A woman passes a Valentine's heart graffiti in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgarians have begun to celebrate Valentine's Day since the communist rule collapsed in 1989.

Orthodox Bee-day

2008-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

Blagoevgrad, 10 Feb 2008

The day of St. Haralampi, the Orthodox patron saint of bee-keepers, is marked on February 10th. It is believed that this saint was the first one who discovered the healing powers of honey and bee products. Orthodox believers gather around candles, placed over consecrated jars of honey during a mass in the town of Blagoevgrad.

17th international festival of masquerade games

2008-01-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

Pernik, 26 January 2008

A glimpse of the second day of the 17th international festival of masquerade games called "Surva" in the town of Pernik. The fest is organized each even year in January. The meaning of the ancient Surva tradition is to chase evil powers off the forthcoming year and bring health and harvest.

Making Hafiz in Bulgaria / Quran studies in Madan

2007-09-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Madan, 25 August 2007

Becoming a Hafiz (guardian) of the Quran is a great honour for every Muslim. It gives you and your loved ones special status in this life and the hereafter.
But as desirable as it is, studying the Quran is also hard as you have to memorise by heart the whole sacred Islamic book in Arabic: around 600 pages, 6,666 words, and 345,000 letters. And the studies are only available at one place: a small Islamic school in Bulgaria's mountainous town of Madan to the south, whose population is 95 percent Muslim.
The school established ten years after the fall of the communist regime in Bulgaria in 1989 admits only 15 pupils a year. They live and study full-time and free of charge at the central mosque in town.

The ordeal is finally over

2007-07-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 24/30 July 2007

After eight and a half years spent in prisons in Libya, five Bulgarian nurses, Dr. Zdravko Georgiev, the husband of one of the nurses, and Palestinian Dr. Ashraf al-Hazouz, who has Bulgarian citizenship, were brought home to Bulgaria by European External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and French first lady Cecilia Sarkozy.

Global warming in town

2007-07-23T01:27:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 21 July 2007

Protect the Nature ... and the Freedom of Speech

2007-07-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 19 July 2007

Eco-activists gather together to protest against a Bulgarian law allowing property developers to build vacation condos in protected wilderness areas, and surprisingly to all of us, who has forgotten the old times of dictatorship, there were a few bloggers who were interrogated by the police and blamed to have possibly broke the law by announcing unauthorized civil protests.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian parliament approved the desired changes in environmental legislation to protect wilderness areas, national parks, and historical heritage, a day after the European Commission warned Bulgaria of taking "insufficient measures" to preserve wildlife habitats and wilderness zones.

Placibo rockin' agian in Sofia

2007-06-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 18 June 2007
Four years after their previous concert in Sofia, Placebo return with a brand new album under their belt ...

"Stop Bush" at his last stop in Europe

2007-06-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 08 June 2007
Graffiti "decorate" Sofia's buildings two days ahead of US President's visit in Bulgaria.

On the Beautiful Blue Danube and/or EU Corridor VII

2007-06-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Russe, 05 June 2007

".. this is not a movie, this is real life ... "

2007-06-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Sofia, May 2007

A criminalist (aka crime scene technician, examiner, or investigator) is a person who searches for, collects, and preserves physical evidence in the investigation of crime and suspected criminals. They typically work in city or regional crime labs and are expected to do more than the forensic scientists and crime lab technicians there. They are expected to be on call 24 hours a day to go out to crime scenes, frankly when and where detectives are stumped. Many criminalists consider themselves (professional), but few criminologists consider themselves criminalists.

Portrait of three Bulgarian top criminalists:

El Flamenco

2007-05-30T02:27:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 29 May 2007
"... Free. Creative. Daring. Restless. Open-minded. Belén Maya symbolizes progress in flamenco dance...." (Flamenco-world)
Maya is also known from the ultimate beautifully photographed documentary of the Spanish-filmmaker Carlos Saura "Flamenco" - a tribute to the beauty and diversity of Spain's national dance.

When it rains it pours

2007-05-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Vladaya, 21 May 2007

Oriental style

2007-05-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 16 May 2007

Seventy dancers are performing during Turkish dance show "The Night of the Sultans" presenting Oriental-styled mythological scenes.

Europeanization without Decommunization

2007-05-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 9 May 2007

EU member Bulgaria still bears signs of Its communist past as several hundred Bulgarians gathered in front of the
Monument of the Red Army in the capital Sofia to celebrate the World War II Victory Day.

Zorbing downhill

2007-05-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 5th of May 2007

It's the next crazy adventure activity from New Zealand, the nation that developed bungy jumping.
Zorbing is the sport of rolling down a hill, at speed, inside a giant inflatable sphere, of course! Downhill course of about 200 metres can reach speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour. It's wild, totally disorientating, and arguably the most adrenaline-filled ride currently available... that's what they say.

MAY DAY - the Bulgarian Anarchist version of the Labor Day

2007-05-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sofia, Bulgaria

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in most countries. The United States of America and Canada are among the exceptions. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the USA, linked to the battle for the eight-hour day, and the Chicago anarchists.

Imbeciles & Babyface Clan, a one-off reunion on stage?

2007-04-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 20 April 2007
A favorite band, back then until now! ... They seem to continue the Bulgarian connection with the Imbeciles & The Poison Umbrella.

"In the Name of the Knights"

2007-04-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

Nissovo, 24 April 2007
Famous Bulgarian archaeologist Professor Nikolay Ovcharov is in search for evidence of the Knights Templar’s presence in Rousse region in so called Valley of Knights near the Danube city of Rousse. In the neighbourhood, near the village of Nissovo, where over eighty headstone crosses were discovered. "There are Templar symbols engraved on them," said the archeologist. Though the necropolis claimed by prof Ovcharov to belong to Templers' knights was resarched beforehead and according to other sientists dates 17-18 century, the prof has announced the start of a project "Tracing Templars in Bulgarian Land"

"Comedy is a serious business, and one only knows it when one sees it or hears it."

2007-04-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Comedians
Sofia, 13 April 2007
Find out how is made the weekly Bulgarian TV show "The Comedians".

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 8 April 2007
Midnight Easter Vigil
Light traces drawn by the candles of believers as they walk around the Alexander Newsky Cathedral in a cross-procession around the church, part of the Midnight Easter service. This is done to commemorate the journey of the myrrh-bearing women, the followers of Jesus who came to his tomb and found it empty. The procession stops in front of the closed church doors and the hymn of resurrection is sung: "Christ is risen from the dead, and by his death he has trampled upon death and has given life to those who are in the tombs." The "tomb is found empty", the bells are ringing, the church is filled with light and the service takes on a joyous Easter atmosphere. People greet one another, saying: "Christ is risen!" which is answered: "indeed he is!"

The Duel of the Giants

2007-03-31T02:15:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 30 March 2007
Eight of the best Latino and Dance-sport couples in the world competed in a dance-show named "The Duel of the Giants."
Among the dancing couples, are Peter and Kristina Stokkebroe – current Latin American Dances World Champions, Аrunas Bizokas and Edita Daniute – current Standard Dances World Champions, Maurizio Vescovo and Melinda Torokgyorgy – pretenders for the World Cup, Paolo Bosco and Silvya Piton – the minions of the audience worldwide, as well as Paolo Bosko and Silvia Piton – masters of the Tango.

Ram Navami Festival

2007-03-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sofia,
27 March 2007
Since 1966 devotion to Krishna has spread from within India and is now practiced in many places around the globe, including America, Europe, Africa, Russia and South America. This is largely due to the growth of the 'Hare Krishna' movement, the largest part of which is officially known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. ISKCON is actively evangelistic. Members try to spread Krishna consciousness, primarily by singing the Hare Krishna mantra in public places and by selling books. This openness places ISKCON in strong contrast to many other branches of Hinduism, which may stress hereditary lineage and are non-missionary by nature.

Tanrga Mega Rock - the cultish online rock radio station in Bulgaria to celebrate its first year

2007-03-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

Sofia, 23 March 2007
The roots and conception of Tangra Mega Rock are to be found in Rock Radio Tangra that was closed down in 2003. Rock Radio Tangra was a unique radio station with more than 10 years of history, exceptional programme and have a cult status within the Bulgarian rock community.
Mark Foggo's Skasters, the Bulgarian C4 band and about 3000 fans are pictured:

Parkour

2007-01-23T02:21:00.000-08:00

According to founder David Belle, the spirit of parkour is guided in part by the notions of "escape" and "reach", that is, the idea of using physical agility and quick thinking to get out of difficult situations, and to be able to go anywhere that one desires. Free running, a closely related art emphasizing aesthetics, is most concerned with fluidity and beauty. For example, Sebastien Foucan, a free runner who trained with David Belle during the infancy of the art, speaks of being "fluid like water," a frequently used simile for the smooth passage of barriers through the use of parkour.
The journey of parkour from the Parisian suburbs to its current status as a widely practised activity outside of France created splits among the originators. The founders of parkour started out in a group named the Yamakasi, but later separated due to disagreements over what David Belle referred to as "prostitution of the art," the production of a feature film starring the Yamakasi in 2001. Sebastian Foucan, David Belle, were amongst those who split at this point. The name 'Yamakasi' is taken from Lingala, a language spoken in the Congo, and means strong spirit, strong body, strong man.
The philosophy of Parkour is as much as a part of truly learning the discipline well as being able to master the movements, it gives you the ability to “over come your fears and pains and reapply this to life” as you must be able to control your mind in order to master the art of Parkour.

Epiphany in Kalofer, Bulgaria

2007-01-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Bulgarians sing and round dance in the river of Tundzha, as they celebrate St. Jordan's day (Epiphany) in the town of Kalofer. On St. Jordan's day, the Eastern Orthodox priests throw a cross in the river and the men take it out. It is believed that those who dance in the river will be healthy throughout the year.

On Epiphany (St. Joprdan's day) the banks of the Tundzha River in the small town of Kalofer are overcrowded with people. The sanctification of the Tundzha River starts with an Orthodox liturgy. More than hundred men, dressed in national costumes wade into the ice-cold river. The men`s procession makes its way through the waters led by a small music orchestra of two bagpipe players and a drummer. Waving Bulgarian flag and singing patriotic songs they break the ice covering the river and make the waters steam. More than an hour the men perform their religious ritual, after a long night of warming up with wine and «rakia» (Bulgarian brandy).

"There`s no case that we are aware of somebody getting sick after Epiphany ritual the river" says the mayor of the town, which hosts this unique festival almost two hundred years now.

After the cross was town and brought out of the river by the smallest performer - the 12 years old Tihomir Angelov, the dances continue out of the river, as every one tries to get the blessing with sanctified water by the Orthodox priests for health and success throughout the coming year.