A group of citizens of Bosilegrad paid a visit to the European Parliament in Brussels where they were hosted by Bulgarian Ambassador to the EU Andrej Kovacev. According to GLAS, on the occasion of their visit, an exhibition was opened at the Parliament, dedicated to Bosilegrad and the 25th edition of Easter Festival which takes place from 2-10 April.
At the Parliament, the guests were briefed on the institution’s modus operandi, its main tasks and activities. The group from Bosilegrad then took a tour of the plenary chamber where European MPs debate and adopt legislation.
On that very same day, the exhibition was inaugurated, dedicated to International Children Easter Festival, a festival that has been bringing together children from all around the Balkans for 25 years. The exhibition was hosted by Andrej Kovacev and Asim Ademov. Bulgarian Commissioner Mariya Gabriel addressed the audience, saying that she stood ready to support of any idea that brings different people together and builds the world of love and peace. The exhibition launch was also attended by representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Brussels.
President of association GLAS Aleksandar Dimitrov expanded on the exhibition titled Bosilegrad Now and Then. The audience had a chance to hear a recital and a Bulgarian folk song Oblače le bjalo performed by students from Bosilegrad.
“For our small town, it is a great honour and recognition to showcase the results of our work in the past 25 years,“ Aleksandar Dimitrov said as he inaugurated the show.
Following Bosilegrad, the first stop of the traveling exhibition Bosilegrad Now and Then – International Children Easter Festival was the EU Info Centre in Belgrade. The citizens thus had an opportunity to learn more about the past and the present of this town in the south of Serbia, its spirituality, traditions and customs, but also about numerous events occurring during the Festival that has for the past 23 years been taking place around Easter.
The Festival runs for seven days and is participated in by some 700 children – Bosilegrad, nearby towns and regions across Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Moldavia, Ukraine, Greece and has a considerable importance for Bosilegrad and the region, populated primarily by members of the Bulgarian national minority.
In 2015, the European Festivals Association has ranked the Festival in Bosilegrad as one of top 20 most important festivals in Serbia, granting it EFFE label for 2015/2016.
