Rayna Mandjoukova: The war should not divide the Bessarabian-Bulgarian community in Ukraine and Moldova

Oxana Jeleapova organises charity dinner to support talented Bulgarian children in Moldova

published on 10/29/24 8:25 AM

Photo: Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria

The Bessarabian Bulgarians are "an integral part of the Bulgarian national body, of the Bulgarian spiritual and cultural community, and they will always be, because the bond between us and them is unbreakable" - wrote the only issue of the newspaper "Bulgarian Bessarabia", published in Sofia on 28 November 1938.

The article called for one day a year "to be for them and for us a great celebration of the Bulgarian spirit". At that time there was already a large community of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria, who were involved in the rebuilding of the new Bulgarian state. They proposed that 29 October - the day on which the Transfiguration of the Lord Cathedral was consecrated in Bolgrad (Ukraine) a hundred years earlier - be celebrated in Bulgaria as the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians. However, the Second World War began in 1939 and the new holiday failed to establish itself. It was only restored in 1989 at the suggestion of the Cultural and Educational Society for Relations with Bessarabian and Tavrian Bulgarians "Rodolyubets".

Celebration of the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians in Odessa, 26 October 2024.

The Besarabian Bulgarians are not one of the most discussed topics in this country, but Bulgaria does not forget them and tries to provide enough opportunities for the compatriots who migrated centuries ago to the territory of today's Moldova and Ukraine to return and get to know their homeland anew. A number of festivals, the programmes of the Ministry of Education and Science - "Bulgaria - Educational Routes" and "The Untold Stories of the Bulgarians", the children's competitions of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (EABA), in which Bulgarian children from Bessarabia participate very actively, contribute to this.

Rayna Mandjoukova, the head of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, is one of the most prominent advocates of helping our compatriots from Moldova and Ukraine to connect with their ancestral homeland. A Bessarabian-Bulgarian herself, born near the Ukrainian town of Izmail, she does not fail to send her best wishes to our compatriots on the occasion of today's holiday:

"There is no way that my wish to the Bessarabian Bulgarians will not be affected by what is happening now in Ukraine. In this context, I would like to wish my compatriots in Ukrainian Bessarabia courage, spirit and strength.

They are Bulgarians, but they are Ukrainian citizens and they are part of this country that is fighting for its rightful future. I wish them strength, health and confidence that Bulgaria is with them!

It is not always obvious, but Bulgaria is also politically on the side of justice, and especially for the Bulgarians abroad, in the face of the EABA and in my person they have support - Mrs Mandjoukova said in an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

My wish for the Bulgarians in Moldova is that they treat the other Bessarabian Bulgarians with more understanding. We are doing our best to organise joint initiatives to bring them together and I wish that we could work together to ensure that the Bessarabian Bulgarians remain one and not divided into Bulgarians in Ukraine and Bulgarians in Moldova.

The Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians is very emotional, it unites us, it reminds people of our existence - says Oxana Jeleapova, a Bessarabian Bulgarian from Moldova.

She is the organiser of one of the initiatives to mark the day in Sofia. Oxana Jeleapova's personal cause has been to support Bessarabian children for years.

Oxana and Ivan Jeleapov: A father-daughter duo on a mission to aid Bessarabian Bulgarians in Moldova

"My cause is always the same. It will always be close to my heart because I grew up with it. I want the Bulgarians living in Moldova to feel that they are not alone and that they always have a helping hand.

I support the children who perform folk dances, children who are being treated in a rehabilitation centre, etc. Every time I organise a charity dinner, I distribute the funds in several smaller towns so that no one is offended".

"This cause is my driving force, my way of showing my daughters the traditions, customs and who we, the Bessarabian Bulgarians, are," says Oksana proudly.

Photos: BTA, Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria, Personal archive of Oxana Jeleapova

Translated and posted in English by E. Radkova

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