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Undo vandalized official data. So you deny the right of the people in Republic of Macedonia and Albania to self-identify as Bulgarian?
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|region27 = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
|region27 = {{flagcountry|Macedonia}}
|pop27 = 31,965
|pop27 = 35,808-50,000+
|ref27 = {{lower|<ref>
|ref27 = {{lower|<ref name=presidency>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.president.bg/v_pravo_txt.php?id=4337&st=0
|title=Bulgarian presidency - Foreign citizens who obtained Bulgarian citizenship from 01.2002 to 06.2011
|publisher=www.president.bg
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.focus-news.net/?id=f14673
|title=Bulgarian Minister without portfolio - Foreign citizens who obtained Bulgarian citizenship from 1990 to 2010
|publisher=www.focus-news.net
}}
</ref>}}
|region28 = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
|pop28 = 31,965
|ref28 = {{lower|<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
|url=http://www.perepis2002.ru/index.html?id=17
|url=http://www.perepis2002.ru/index.html?id=17
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|region28 = {{flagcountry|Serbia}}
|region29 = {{flagcountry|Serbia}}
|pop28 = 20,497
|pop29 = 20,497
|ref28 = {{lower|<ref>
|ref29 = {{lower|<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
|url=http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/Zip/VJN3.pdf
|url=http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/Zip/VJN3.pdf
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|region30 = {{flagcountry|Albania}}
|pop30 = 1,128-50,000
|ref30 = {{lower|<ref name=presidency/><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.omda.bg/bulg/news/Bulgaria%20news/Bulgaria_Albania.htm
|title=State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad - Bulgarians in Albania {{bg icon}}
|publisher=www.omda.bg
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|rels = Usually '''† [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]]''',<br><small>Small minorities practicing [[Islam]]([[Pomaks]]), [[Roman Catholicism]], [[Protestanism]] and varieties of other religions</small>
|rels = Usually '''† [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]]''',<br><small>Small minorities practicing [[Islam]]([[Pomaks]]), [[Roman Catholicism]], [[Protestanism]] and varieties of other religions</small>
|related = Other [[Slavs]], especially other [[South Slavs]],<ref name="books.google.com"/><br>especially the [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]]<ref name="books.google.com"/>
|related = Other [[Slavs]], especially other [[South Slavs]],<ref name="books.google.com"/><br>especially the [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]]<ref name="books.google.com"/>
|footnotes = {{smallsup|1}} The 2011 census in Bulgaria is one of few worldwide held with odd, free for answering questions for ethnic group and 683,590 or roughly 9% of the population remained unkown, i.e. haven't choose neither an ethnic group or the answer "I have no ethnicity" if an individual doesn't self-identify. According to experts, the large number of lost answers can not show the complete picture of the ethnic composition in the country. In the same census 5,664,624(84.8% of those that answered the question) decided to sign in the census blank that their ethnic group is Bulgarian and according to some experts from a [[NGO]], the real number of the residents of Bulgarian ethnicity, i.e. including part of the unknown, is roughly 6 million or holds most of the unknown. 5,664,624 together with the unknown is 6,348,214 and together with 84.8% of the unknown is 6,224,444.<ref name=experts/><ref name=2011census/>{{or|date=September 2011}}
|footnotes = {{smallsup|1}} The 2011 census in Bulgaria is one of few worldwide held with odd, free for answering questions for ethnic group and 683,590 or roughly 9% of the population remained unkown, i.e. haven't choose neither an ethnic group or the answer "I have no ethnicity" if an individual doesn't self-identify. According to experts, the large number of lost answers can not show the complete picture of the ethnic composition in the country. In the same census 5,664,624(84.8% of those that answered the question) decided to sign in the census blank that their ethnic group is Bulgarian and according to some experts from a [[NGO]], the real number of the residents of Bulgarian ethnicity, i.e. including part of the unknown, is roughly 6 million or holds most of the unknown. 5,664,624 together with the unknown is 6,348,214 and together with 84.8% of the unknown is 6,224,444.<ref name=experts/><ref name=2011census/>
}}
}}


Revision as of 15:53, 14 September 2011

For the early medieval tribe see Bulgars. For other uses see Bulgarians (disambiguation).
Българи
Bulgarians
-
Krum · John of Rila · Ivan Alexander · Vasil Levski · Hristo Botev
Stefan Stambolov · Christo · Elena Yoncheva · Ludmilla Diakovska · Matey Kaziyski
Total population
9+[1] to 10 million[2][3]
Regions with significant populations
 Bulgaria 5,664,624 - 6,244,2221[4][5]
 Spain169,195[6]
 United Kingdom100,000-150,000[7]
 Italy100,000-130,000[8]
 Germany62,000+[9]
 Greece43,981-80,000[10][11]
 France34,000[12]
 Austria15,000[13]
 Romania8,025[14]
 Belgium7,443[15]
 Portugal7,202[16]
 Czech Republic6,346[17]
 Hungary5,000[18]
 United States300,000[19]
 Argentina70,000[20]
 Brazil62,000[21][22]
 Canada50,000[23]
 South Africa15,000-20,000[24]
 Kazakhstan6,915[25]
 United Arab Emirates5,000[26]
 Australia4,898[27]
Turkey European Turkey270,000 (Pomaks)[28][29][30]
 Ukraine204,574[31]
 Moldova90,000[32]
 Macedonia35,808-50,000+[33][34]
 Russia31,965[35]
 Serbia20,497[36]
 Albania1,128-50,000[33][37]
Languages
Bulgarian
Religion
Usually † Orthodox Christianity,
Small minorities practicing Islam(Pomaks), Roman Catholicism, Protestanism and varieties of other religions
Related ethnic groups
Other Slavs, especially other South Slavs,[38]
especially the Macedonians[38]
1 The 2011 census in Bulgaria is one of few worldwide held with odd, free for answering questions for ethnic group and 683,590 or roughly 9% of the population remained unkown, i.e. haven't choose neither an ethnic group or the answer "I have no ethnicity" if an individual doesn't self-identify. According to experts, the large number of lost answers can not show the complete picture of the ethnic composition in the country. In the same census 5,664,624(84.8% of those that answered the question) decided to sign in the census blank that their ethnic group is Bulgarian and according to some experts from a NGO, the real number of the residents of Bulgarian ethnicity, i.e. including part of the unknown, is roughly 6 million or holds most of the unknown. 5,664,624 together with the unknown is 6,348,214 and together with 84.8% of the unknown is 6,224,444.[5][4]
Part of a series on
Bulgarians
Българи
Coat of arms of Bulgaria
Culture
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The Bulgarians ([българи, balgari] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), pronounced [ˈbɤɫɡɐri]) are a South Slavic[38][39][40][41] nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.

History and ethnogenesis

The Bulgarians have descended from three main tribal groups, which mixed themselves and formed a Slavic-speaking nation and ethnicity in the First Bulgarian Empire: the Slavic invaders, who gave their language to the Bulgarians; the Bulgars, from whom the ethnonym and the early statehood were inherited; as well as certain cultural elements were taken from the 'indigenous' late Roman provincial peoples (Thraco-Romans and Thraco-Byzantines).[42][43] Between the 7th and the 10th centuries, the Bulgars and the other tribes in the empire were greatly outnumbered by the Slavs[44][45][46] and gradually became absorbed by them, adopting a South Slav language,[47] which bring to the Bulgarian Empire and people, their becoming of Slavic country and people. Since the late 9th century, the names “Bulgarians” and “Bulgarian” got prevalence and became permanent designations for the local population, both in the literature and in the spoken language.

The Slavs emerged from their original homeland in the early 6th century, and spread to most of the eastern Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, thus forming three main branches – the West Slavs, the East Slavs and the South Slavs. The Slavs became the largest part of the ancestors of the Bulgarians. Similar to the rest of their South Slavic neighbours, the Bulgarians are clearly separated from the tight R1a1a cluster typical for Western and Eastern Slavs. However, I2a1b1, which is typical of the South Slavic populations[48] is not older than 2550 years and is probably result of the Slavic invasion from the area north-east of the Carpathians.[49]

The ethnic contribution of pre-Slavic populations (so-called Thracian and Daco-Getic peoples) was determined by some recent genetic studies.[50] The ancient languages of the local people had gone nearly extinct before the arrival of the Slavs, mostly due to Hellenization since the antiquity and to a lesser degree to Romanization during Roman rule, accompanied by Christianisation. Their cultural influence was also highly reduced due to the repeated barbaric invasions on the Balkans during the early Middle Ages by Goths, Celts, Huns and Sarmatians and later slavicisation. However, some of their linguistic and cultural traces are nevertheless present in modern Bulgarians (and Macedonians).

The Bulgars are first mentioned in the 4th century in the vicinity of the North Caucasian steppe, although scholars speculate that their history may go back to the Central Asian Mongol-Turkic khaganates.[51][52][53][54] They were a Turkic people with some Sarmato-Iranic elements.[55][56] In the late 7th century, some Bulgar tribes, led by Asparukh and others, led by Kouber, permanently settled in the Balkans, and formed the ruling class of the First Bulgarian Empire in 680–681. It is assumed, that because Balkan Bulgars were not numerous,[57] only a cultural, and low genetic influence was brought into the region, since the genetic background of the local populations was not significantly modified.[58]

Genetic origin

According to some 20th century researchers as William Z. Ripley, Carleton S. Coon and Bertil Lundman the Bulgarians are predominantly Mediterranean people, with unexplained Pre-Pontic, Alpine, and Nordic strains, whose roots go back to the Neolithic.[59][60] Bulgarian DNA profile is congruent with those described for most European populations. Among the prehistoric events marked by the observed haplogroups, the greatest contribution comes from the range expansion of local Mesolithic foragers. The Bulgarian gene pool also bears signals of the recolonization from different glacial refugia and the spread of agriculture (and farmers) from the Near East. As for the interpopulation analysis of Y-DNA, similarly to mtDNA, Bulgarians belong to the cluster of European populations, still being slightly distant from them.[61][62] Genetically, modern Bulgarians are more closely related to other neighbouring Balkan populations (Macedonians, Serbs, Romanians, Greeks and Albanians) than to the rest of the Europeans.[63][64][65][66][67]

Demographics

Most Bulgarians live in Bulgaria, where they are around 6 million,[4][5] constituting 85% of the population. There are significant Bulgarian minorities in the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia (see Western Outlands), Greece, Turkey, Albania, Romania (Banat Bulgarians), as well as in Ukraine and Moldova (Bessarabian Bulgarians). Many Bulgarians also live in the diaspora, which is formed by representatives and descendants of the old (before 1989) and new (after 1989) emigration. The old emigration was made up of some 2,470,000 [citation needed] economic and several tens of thousands of political emigrants, and was directed for the most part to the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Germany. The new emigration is estimated at some 970,000 people and can be divided into two major subcategories: permanent emigration at the beginning of the 1990s, directed mostly to the U.S., Canada, Austria, and Germany and labour emigration at the end of the 1990s, directed for the most part to Greece, Italy, the UK and Spain. Migrations to the West have been quite steady even in the late 1990s and early 21st century, as people continue moving to countries like the US, Canada and Australia. Most Bulgarians living in the US can be found in Chicago, Illinois. However, according to the 2000 US census most Bulgarians live in the cities of New York and Los Angeles, and the state with most Bulgarians in the US is California. Most Bulgarians living in Canada can be found in Toronto, Ontario, and the provinces with most Bulgarians in Canada are Ontario and Quebec. The largest urban populations of Bulgarians are to be found in Sofia (1,1 million),[4] Plovdiv (302,858) and Varna (300,000+). The total number of Bulgarians stood at over 10 million.[2][3]

  • Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1847, according to the French-Austrian geologist Ami Boué. (Bulgarians in beige)
    Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1847, according to the French-Austrian geologist Ami Boué.
    (Bulgarians in beige)
  • Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1868, according to the Czech historian Karel Erben. (Bulgarians in light brown)
    Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1868, according to the Czech historian Karel Erben.
    (Bulgarians in light brown)
  • Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1880, according to the German-English cartographer Ernst Ravenstein. (Bulgarians in orange)
    Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1880, according to the German-English cartographer Ernst Ravenstein.
    (Bulgarians in orange)
  • Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1882, according to the German geographer Heinrich Kiepert. (Bulgarians in yellow)
    Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1882, according to the German geographer Heinrich Kiepert.
    (Bulgarians in yellow)
  • Distribution of the peoples of Macedonia in 1890, according to the German linguist Gustav Weigand. (Bulgarians in green)
    Distribution of the peoples of Macedonia in 1890, according to the German linguist Gustav Weigand.
    (Bulgarians in green)
  • Distribution of the European peoples in 1897, according to a Hungarian author.
    Distribution of the European peoples in 1897, according to a Hungarian author.
  • Distribution of the Slavic peoples in 1899, according to the Czech anthropologist Lubor Niederle. (Bulgarians in light blue)
    Distribution of the Slavic peoples in 1899, according to the Czech anthropologist Lubor Niederle.
    (Bulgarians in light blue)
  • Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1911, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
    Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1911, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
  • Distribution of the Bulgarians in 1912, according to the Bulgarian scientist Academician Proff. Anastas Ishirkov. (Bulgarians in green)
    Distribution of the Bulgarians in 1912, according to the Bulgarian scientist Academician Proff. Anastas Ishirkov.
    (Bulgarians in green)
  • Distribution of the European peoples in 1914, according to the German cartographer L. Ravenstein. (Bulgarians in dark green)
    Distribution of the European peoples in 1914, according to the German cartographer L. Ravenstein.
    (Bulgarians in dark green)
  • Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1935, according to the German historian Edgar Lehmann. (Bulgarians in light green)
    Distribution of the Balkan peoples in 1935, according to the German historian Edgar Lehmann.
    (Bulgarians in light green)
  • Distribution of the ethnic groups in Bulgaria, according to the 2001 census. (Bulgarians in yellow)
    Distribution of the ethnic groups in Bulgaria, according to the 2001 census.
    (Bulgarians in yellow)
  • Distribution of the languages in Greece. (Bulgarian in pink)
    Distribution of the languages in Greece.
    (Bulgarian in pink)
  • Distribution of the ethnic groups in Serbia, according to the 2002 census. (Bulgarians in light gray)
    Distribution of the ethnic groups in Serbia, according to the 2002 census.
    (Bulgarians in light gray)
  • Distribution of the ethnic groups in Romania, according to the 2002 census.
    Distribution of the ethnic groups in Romania, according to the 2002 census.
  • Distribution of the ethnic groups in Ukraine, according to the 2001 census. (Bulgarians in dark blue)
    Distribution of the ethnic groups in Ukraine, according to the 2001 census.
    (Bulgarians in dark blue)


Related ethnic groups

Three Bulgarian women of Thrace, of Shoplak and of Macedonia, painting by Jan Mrkvička. Until the early 20th century, the nowadays ethnic Macedonians, Torlaks and Slavic-speakers of Greek Macedonia were usually self-identifying as Bulgarians, unlike nowadays.

Bulgarians are considered most closely related to the neighboring Macedonians, indeed it is sometimes said there is no discernible ethnic difference between them.[38] The ethnic Macedonians were considered Macedonian Bulgarians by the most ethnographers until the early 20th century and beyond with a big portion of them evidently self-identifying as such.[68][69] The Slavic-speakers of Greek Macedonia and most among the Torlaks in Serbia have also had a history of identifying as Bulgarians and many were members of the Bulgarian Exarchate, which included most of the territory regarded as Torlak. Greater part of these people were also considered Bulgarians by most of the ethnographers until the early 20th century and beyond.[70][71][72][73]

Culture

Language

Main article: Bulgarian language

Bulgarians speak a Southern Slavic language which is mutually intelligible with the Macedonian and with the Torlak dialect. The Bulgarian language is also, to some degree, mutually intelligible with Russian on account of the influence which Russia has had on the development of Modern Bulgaria since 1878, as well as the earlier effect of Old Bulgarian on the development of Old Russian. Although related, Bulgarian and the Western and Eastern Slavic languages are not mutually intelligible.

Bulgarian demonstrates some linguistic developments that set it apart from other Slavic languages. These are shared with Romanian, Albanian and Greek (see Balkan linguistic union) with which it is not in any case mutually intelligible. Until 1878 Bulgarian was influenced lexically by medieval and modern Greek, and to a much lesser extent, by Turkish. More recently, the language has borrowed many words from Russian, German, French and English.

Comparatively small are the people of the diaspora who are Bulgarians by ethnic origin or descent but do not speak the Bulgarian language (mostly representatives of the old emigration in the U.S., Canada, Argentina and Brazil).

The majority of Bulgarian linguists[who?] consider the officialized Macedonian language (since 1944) a local variation of Bulgarian, just as the most ethnographers and linguists until the early 20th century considered the local Slavic speach in the Macedonian region. The president of Bulgaria Zhelyu Zhelev, declined to recognize the Macedonian as a seperate language when the Republic of Macedonia became a new independent state. The Bulgarian language is written in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Cyrillic alphabet

Cyrillic alphabet of the medieval Old Bulgarian language

In the first half of the 10th century, the Cyrillic alphabet was devised in the Preslav Literary School, Bulgaria, based on the Glagolitic, the Greek and Latin alphabets. Modern versions of the alphabet are now used to write five more Slavic languages such as Belarusian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian as well as Mongolian and some other 60 languages spoken in the former Soviet Union. Medieval Bulgaria was the most important cultural centre of the Slavic peoples at the end of the 9th and throughout the 10th century. The two literary schools of Preslav and Ohrid developed a rich literary and cultural activity with authors of the rank of Constantine of Preslav, John Exarch, Chernorizets Hrabar, Clement and Naum of Ohrid. Bulgaria exerted similar influence on her neighbouring countries in the mid to late 14th century, at the time of the Tarnovo Literary School, with the work of Patriarch Evtimiy, Gregory Tsamblak, Constantine of Kostenets (Konstantin Kostenechki). Bulgarian cultural influence was especially strong in Wallachia and Moldova where the Cyrillic alphabet was used until 1860, while Church Slavonic was the official language of the princely chancellery and of the church until the end of 17th century.

Name system

Main article: Bulgarian name

There are several different layers of Bulgarian names. The vast majority of them have either Christian (names like Lazar, Ivan, Anna, Maria, Ekaterina) or Slavic origin (Vladimir, Svetoslav, Velislava). After the Liberation in 1878, the names of historical Bulgar rulers like Asparuh, Krum, Kubrat and Tervel were resurrected. The old Bulgar name Boris has spread from Bulgaria to a number of countries in the world with Russian Tsar Boris Godunov, British politician Boris Johnson, and German tennis player Boris Becker being three of the examples of its use.

Most Bulgarian male surnames have an -ov surname suffix (Cyrillic: -ов). This is sometimes transcribed as -off (John Atanasov—John Atanasoff), but more often as -ov (e.g. Boyko Borisov). The -ov suffix is the Slavic gender-agreeing suffix, thus Ivanov (Bulgarian: Иванов) literally means "Ivan's". Bulgarian middle names are patronymic and use the gender-agreeing suffix as well, thus the middle name of Nikola's son becomes Nikolov, and the middle name of Ivan's son becomes Ivanov. Since names in Bulgarian are gender-based, Bulgarian women have the -ova surname suffix (Cyrillic: -овa), for example, Maria Ivanova. The plural form of Bulgarian names ends in -ovi (Cyrillic: -ови), for example the Ivanovi family (Иванови).

Other common Bulgarian male surnames have the -ev surname suffix (Cyrillic: -ев), for example Stoev, Ganchev, Peev, and so on. The female surname in this case would have the -eva surname suffix (Cyrillic: -ева), for example: Galina Stoeva. The last name of the entire family then would have the plural form of -evi (Cyrillic: -еви), for example: the Stoevi family (Стоеви).

Another typical Bulgarian surname suffix, though less common, is -ski. This surname ending also gets an –a when the bearer of the name is female (Smirnenski becomes Smirnenska). The plural form of the surname suffix -ski is still -ski, e.g. the Smirnenski family (Bulgarian: Смирненски).

The ending –in (female -ina) also appears rarely. It used to be given to the child of an unmarried woman (for example the son of Kuna will get the surname Kunin and the son of Gana – Ganin). The surname suffix -ich can be found only occasional, primarily among the Roman Catholic Bulgarians. The surname ending –ich does not get an additional –a if the bearer of the name is female.

Religion

Main articles: Orthodox Church and Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

Most Bulgarians are at least nominally members of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church founded in 870 AD (autocephalous since 927 AD). The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the independent national church of Bulgaria like the other national branches of the Orthodox communion and is considered an inseparable[citation needed] element of Bulgarian national consciousness. The church was abolished once, during the period of Ottoman rule (1396—1878), in 1873 it was revived as Bulgarian Exarchate and soon after raised again to Bulgarian Patriarchate. In 2001, the Orthodox Church at least nominally had a total of 6,552,000 members in Bulgaria (82.6% of the population), 6,300,000 of which were Bulgarians, and between one and two million members in the diaspora. The Orthodox Bulgarian minorities in the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova nowadays hold allegiance to the respective national Orthodox churches.

Despite the position of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as a unifying symbol for all Bulgarians, small groups of Bulgarians have converted to other faiths through the course of time. In the 16th and the 17th century Roman Catholic missionaries converted a small number of Bulgarian Paulicians in the districts of Plovdiv and Svishtov to Roman Catholicism. Nowadays there are some 40,000 Roman Catholic Bulgarians in Bulgaria, additional 10,000 in the Banat in Romania and up to 100,000 people of Bulgarian ancenstry in South America. The Roman Catholic Bulgarians of the Banat are also descendants of Paulicians who fled there at the end of the 17th century after an unsuccessful uprising against the Ottomans. Protestantism was introduced in Bulgaria by missionaries from the United States in 1857. Missionary work continued throughout the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays there are some 25,000 Protestant Bulgarians in Bulgaria. Between the 15th and the 19th century, during the Ottoman rule, some Orthodox Bulgarians converted to Islam. At 2001 census, 131,000 declared that are ethnic Bulgarians with Islamic denomination (locally called Pomaks) in Bulgaria in the Rhodope region, as well as few villages in the Teteven region in Central North Bulgaria, however nowadays most of the Pomaks live in Turkey where they are at least 270,000.

Art and science

Main articles: Cinema of Bulgaria, Literature of Bulgaria, Music of Bulgaria, and Bulgarian dances
16th century fresco of Baptism of Christ from the Kremikovtsi Monastery

Boris Christoff, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Raina Kabaivanska and Ghena Dimitrova made a precious contribution to opera singing with Ghiaurov and Christoff being two of the greatest bassos in the post-war period. The name of the harpist-Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean is one of the best-known harpists today. Bulgarians have made valuable contributions to world culture in modern times as well. Julia Kristeva and Tzvetan Todorov were among the most influential European philosophers in the second half of the 20th century. The artist Christo is among the most famous representatives of environmental art with projects such as the Wrapped Reichstag.

Bulgarians in the diaspora have also been active. American scientists and inventors of Bulgarian descent include John Atanasoff, Peter Petroff, and Assen Jordanoff. Bulgarian-American Stephane Groueff wrote the celebrated book "Manhattan Project", about the making of the first atomic bomb and also penned "Crown of Thorns", a biography of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria. According to MENSA International, Bulgaria ranks 2nd in the world in Mensa IQ test-scores and its students rate second in the world in SAT scores.[74][75] Also, international MENSA IQ testing completed in 2004 identified as the world's smartest woman (and one of the smartest people in the world) Daniela Simidchieva of Bulgaria, who has an IQ of 200.[76][77]As of 2007 CERN employed more than 90 Bulgarian scientists, and about 30 of them will actively participate in the Large Hadron Collider experiments.[78]

Cuisine

Main article: Bulgarian cuisine
Bulgarian Kozunak as prepared for Easter

Customs

Main article: Bulgarian customs

Bulgarians may wear the martenitsa (мартеница) — an adornment made of white and red yarn and worn on the wrist or pinned on the clothes — from March 1 until the end of the month. Alternatively, one can take off the martenitsa earlier if one sees a stork (considered a harbinger of spring). One can then tie the martenitsa to the blossoming branch of a tree. Family-members and friends in Bulgaria customarily exchange martenitsas, which they regard as symbols of health and longevity. The white thread represents peace and tranquility, while the red one stands for the cycles of life. Bulgarians may also refer to the holiday of 1 March as Baba Marta (Баба Марта), meaning Grandmother March. It preserves an ancient pagan tradition. Many legends exist regarding the birth of this custom, some of them dating back to the 7th-century times of Khan Kubrat, the ruler of Old Great Bulgaria. Other tales relate the martenitsa to Thracian and Zoroastrian beliefs.

The ancient ritual of kukeri (кукери), performed by costumed men, seeks to scare away evil spirits and bring good harvest and health to the community. The costumes, made of animal furs and fleeces, cover the whole of the body. A mask, adorned with horns and decoration, covers the head of each kuker, who also must have bells attached to his waist. The ritual consists of dancing, jumping and shouting in an attempt to banish all evil from the village. Some of the performers impersonate royalty, field-workers and craftsmen. The adornments on the costumes vary from one region to another.

Another characteristic custom called nestinarstvo (нестинарство), or firedancing, distinguishes the Strandzha region. This ancient custom involves dancing into fire or over live embers. Women dance into the fire with their bare feet without suffering any injury or pain.

Sport

Main articles: Sport in Bulgaria and Football in Bulgaria

As for most European peoples, the football became by far the most popular sport for the Bulgarians. Hristo Stoichkov was one of the best football (soccer) players in the second half of the 20th century, having played with the national team and FC Barcelona. He received a number of awards and was the joint top scorer at the 1994 World Cup. Dimitar Berbatov, currently in Manchester United and formely in the national team and two domestic clubs, is still the most popular Bulgarian football player of the 21st century.

In the beginning of the 20th century Bulgaria was famous for two of the best wrestlers in the world – Dan Kolov and Nikola Petroff. Stefka Kostadinova is the best female high jumper, still holding the world record from 1987, one of the oldest unbroken world records for all kind of athletics. Ivet Lalova along with Irina Privalova is currently the fastest white woman at 100 metres. Kaloyan Mahlyanov has been the first European sumo wrestler to win the Emperor's Cup in Japan. Veselin Topalov won the 2005 World Chess Championship. He was ranked #1 in the world from April 2006 to January 2007, and had the second highest Elo rating of all time (2813). He regained the world #1 ranking again in October 2008.

Symbols

Coat of arms of Bulgaria
Flag of Bulgaria
The Samara flag from the Liberation War against Ottoman rule, still key national symbol of the Bulgarians today

The national symbols of the Bulgarians are the Flag of Bulgaria, the Coat of Arms of Bulgaria as well other symbols such as the Samara flag.

The national flag of Bulgaria is a rectangle with three colors: white, green, and red, positioned horizontally top to bottom. The color fields are of same form and equal size. It is generally known that the white represents - the sky, the green - the forest and nature and the red - the blood of the people, referencing the strong bond of the nation through all the wars and revolutions that have shaken the country in the past.

The Coat of Arms of Bulgaria is a state symbol of the sovereignty and independence of the Bulgarian people and state. It represents a crowned rampant golden lion on a dark red background with the shape of a shield. Above the shield there is a crown modeled after the crowns of the emperors of the Second Bulgarian Empire, with five crosses and an additional cross on top. Two crowned rampant golden lions hold the shield from both sides, facing it. They stand upon two crossed oak branches with acorns, which symbolize the power and the longevity of the Bulgarian state. Under the shield, there is a white band lined with the three national colors. The band is placed across the ends of the branches and the phrase "Unity Makes Strength" is inscribed on it.

Both the Bulgarian flag and the Coat of Arms are also used as symbols of various Bulgarian organisations, political parties and institutions.

Bulgarians through history

Main article: List of Bulgarians

References and notes

  1. ^ Lewis, M. Paul (ed.) (1986 - 2009). "Bulgarian". Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. SIL International. Retrieved 10 march 2010. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  2. ^ a b "Chairman of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad - 3-4 million Bulgarians abroad as of 2009 [[:Template:Bg icon]]". Bulgarians abroad. 2009. Retrieved 7 march 2011. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  3. ^ a b "Bulgarian Minister without Portfolio - 4 million Bulgarians outside Bulgaria as of 2010 [[:Template:Bg icon]]". Bulgarians outside Bulgaria. 2010. Retrieved 7 march 2011. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Bulgarian 2011 census [[:Template:Bg icon]]" (PDF). www.nsi.bg. Retrieved 2011-07-21. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  5. ^ a b c "Experts for Census 2011 [[:Template:Bg icon]]". {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  6. ^ "National Institute of Statistics of Spain - Foreigners as of 12.2009 [[:Template:Es icon]]" (PDF). www.ine.es. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  7. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in the UK [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  8. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Italy [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  9. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Germany [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  10. ^ "Greek Statistical Authority - Foreigners as of 12.2005" (PDF). www.statistics.gr.
  11. ^ "Greek 1991 census - Officialy identified as Pomaks (additional number) [[:Template:El icon]]". www.hri.org. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  12. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in France [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  13. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Austria [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  14. ^ "Romanian 2002 census [[:Template:Ro icon]]". www.edrc.ro. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  15. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Belgium [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  16. ^ "Portuguese 2009 census [[:Template:Pt icon]]" (PDF). www.sefstat.sef.pt. Retrieved 2011-04-16. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  17. ^ "Czech Statistical Office - Foreigners as of 10.2009 [[:Template:Cz icon]]" (PDF). www.czso.cz. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  18. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Hungary [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  19. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in the US [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  20. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Argentina [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2008-04-29. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  21. ^ IBGE 2006
  22. ^ "bTV - estimate for Bulgarians in Brazil [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.btv.bg. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  23. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Canada [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  24. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in South Africa [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  25. ^ "Kazakh 1999 census". www.stat.kz. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  26. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in the UAE [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2008-04-30. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  27. ^ "Australian 2006 census" (PDF). www.abs.gov.au.
  28. ^ "Ethnolugue - Bulgarian language". www.ethnologue.com. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  29. ^ "Bulgarian language". www.lmp.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  30. ^ "Bulgarian language". www.govorunby.com. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  31. ^ "Ukrainian 2001 census". www.ukrcensus.gov.ua. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  32. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria - Bulgarians in Moldova [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.mfa.bg. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  33. ^ a b "Bulgarian presidency - Foreign citizens who obtained Bulgarian citizenship from 01.2002 to 06.2011". www.president.bg.
  34. ^ "Bulgarian Minister without portfolio - Foreign citizens who obtained Bulgarian citizenship from 1990 to 2010". www.focus-news.net.
  35. ^ "Russian 2002 census [[:Template:Ru icon]]". www.perepis2002.ru. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  36. ^ "Serbian 2003 census [[:Template:Sr icon]]" (PDF). www.webrzs.stat.gov.rs. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  37. ^ "State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad - Bulgarians in Albania [[:Template:Bg icon]]". www.omda.bg. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  38. ^ a b c d Political and economic dictionary of Eastern Europe, Alan John Day, Roger East, Richard Thomas, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 1857430638, p. 96.
  39. ^ One Europe, many nations: a historical dictionary of European national groups, James Minahan, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000, ISBN 0313309841, pp. 134-135.
  40. ^ Fine, John Van Antwerp (1991). The early medieval Balkans: a critical survey from the sixth to the late twelfth century. University of Michigan Press. p. 308. ISBN 9780472081493.
  41. ^ Kopeček, Michal (2007). Balázs Trencsényi (ed.). Discourses of collective identity in Central and Southeast Europe (1770-1945): texts and commentaries. Central European University Press. p. 240. ISBN 9789637326608.
  42. ^ The so-called Bulgar inscriptions are, with few exceptions, written in Greek rather than in Turkic runes; they mention officials with late antique titles, and use late Antique terminology and indictional dating.. contemporary Byzantine inscriptions are not obviously similar, implying that this (Bulgar) epigraphic habit was not imported from Constantinople but was a local Bulgar development, or rather, it was an indigenous 'Roman' inheritance. Nicopolis ad Istrium: Backward and Balkan ? M Whittow.
  43. ^ ...Many Thracian survivals have been detected in the sphere of Bulgarian national costume and folk tradition... The Bulgarians: from pagan times to the Ottoman conquest, David Marshall Lang, Westview Press, 1976, ISBN 0891585303, p. 27.
  44. ^ An historical geography of Europe, 450 B.C.-A.D.1330, Norman John, CUP Archive, 1977, ISBN 0521291267, p. 179.
  45. ^ The early medieval Balkans: a critical survey from the sixth to the late twelfth century, John Van Antwerp Fine, University of Michigan Press, 1991, ISBN 0472081497 p. 68.
  46. ^ Formation of the Bulgarian nation: its development in the Middle Ages (9th-14th c.) Academician Dimitŭr Simeonov Angelov, Summary, Sofia-Press, 1978.
  47. ^ L. Ivanov. Essential History of Bulgaria in Seven Pages. Sofia, 2007.
  48. ^ Pericic et al., High-Resolution Phylogenetic Analysis of Southeastern Europe Traces Major Episodes of Paternal Gene Flow Among Slavic Populations [1]
  49. ^ Russian I2a2a-Dinaric TMRCA, 2010.04.10 by Ken Nordtwedt.
  50. ^ Paleo-MtDNA Analysis and population genetic aspects of old Thracian population from South-Eastern Romania
  51. ^ Образуване на българската държава. проф. Петър Петров (Издателство Наука и изкуство, София, 1981)]
  52. ^ Образуване на българската народност.проф. Димитър Ангелов (Издателство Наука и изкуство, “Векове”, София, 1971)
  53. ^ Runciman, Steven. 1930. A history of the First Bulgarian Empire. London: G. Bell & Sons.: §I.1
  54. ^ История на българската държава през средните векове Васил Н. Златарски (I изд. София 1918; II изд., Наука и изкуство, София 1970, под ред. на проф. Петър Хр. Петров)
  55. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
  56. ^ Rasho Rashev, Die Protobulgaren im 5.-7. Jahrhundert, Orbel, Sofia, 2005. (in Bulgarian, German summary)
  57. ^ The history of the Balkan Peninsula, Eastern Europe Collection, Ferdinand Schevill, Ayer Publishing, 1971, ISBN 0405027745, p. 92.
  58. ^ Arnaiz-Villena et al. Human Biology, Volume 75, Number 3, June 2003, E-ISSN: 1534-6617, HLA Genes in the Chuvashian Population from European Russia: Admixture of Central European and Mediterranean Populations, pp. 375-392.
  59. ^ Races Of Europe, (Chapter XII, section 15)
  60. ^ Lundman, Bertil J. - The Races and Peoples of Europe, (Chapter: The Races and Peoples of Southeast Europe), New York: IAAEE. 1977.
  61. ^ Y-Chromosome genetic variation of modern Bulgarians, S. Karachanak et al. European Human Genetics Conference 2011, Amsterdam, May 28–31, 2011.
  62. ^ Bulgarians vs the other European populations: a mitochondrial DNA perspective, International journal of legal medicine (2011), DOI: 10.1007/s00414-011-0589-y, Karachanak et al.
  63. ^ Five polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein B gene in healthy Bulgarians.Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria.PMID: 12713147
  64. ^ HLA polymorphism in Bulgarians defined by high-resolution typing methods in comparison with other populations.
  65. ^ Y-chromosomal diversity in Europe is clinal and influenced primarily by geography, rather than by language
  66. ^ Distributions of HLA class I alleles and haplotypes in Bulgarians – contribution to understanding the origin of the population. M. Ivanova, P. Spassova, A. Michailova, E. Naumova. Division of Clinical and Transplantation Immunology, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria.
  67. ^ Bulgarian Bone Marrow Donors Registry—past and future directions - Asen Zlatev, Milena Ivanova, Snejina Michailova, Anastasia Mihaylova and Elissaveta Naumova, Central Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital “Alexandrovska”, Sofia, Bulgaria, Published online: 2 June 2007
  68. ^ Cousinéry, Esprit Marie. Voyage dans la Macédoine: contenant des recherches sur l'histoire, la géographie, les antiquités de ce pay, Paris, 1831, Vol. II, p. 15-17, one of the passages in English – [2], Engin Deniz Tanir, The Mid-Nineteenth century Ottoman Bulgaria from the viewpoints of the French Travelers, A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Middle East Technical University, 2005, p. 99, 142
  69. ^ Pulcherius, Receuil des historiens des Croisades. Historiens orientaux. III, p. 331 – a passage in English -http://promacedonia.org/en/ban/nr1.html#4
  70. ^ The struggle for Greece, 1941-1949, Christopher Montague Woodhouse, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2002, ISBN 1850654921, p. 67.
  71. ^ Who are the Macedonians? Hugh Poulton. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1995, ISBN 1850652384,p. 109.
  72. ^ Felix Philipp Kanitz, (Das Konigreich Serbien und das Serbenvolk von der Romerzeit bis dur Gegenwart, 1904, in two volume) # "In this time (1872) they (the inhabitants of Pirot) did not presume that six years later the often damn Turkish rule in their town will be finished, and at least they did not presume that they will be include in Serbia, because they always feel that they are Bulgarians. ("Србија, земља и становништво од римског доба до краја XIX века", Друга књига, Београд 1986, p. 215)
    1. And today (in the end of XIX century) among the older generation there are many fondness to Bulgarians, that it led him to collision with Serbian government. Some hesitation can be noticed among the youngs..." ("Србија, земља и становништво од римског доба до краја XIX века", Друга књига, Београд 1986, c. 218; Serbia - its land and inhabitants, Belgrade 1986, p. 218)
  73. ^ Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui, „Voyage en Bulgarie pendant l'année 1841“ (Жером-Адолф Бланки. Пътуване из България през 1841 година. Прев. от френски Ел. Райчева, предг. Ив. Илчев. София: Колибри, 2005, 219 с. ISBN 978-954-529-367-2.) It describes a population in Nish sandjak as Bulgarian, see: [3]
  74. ^ "Bulgaria- Eastern Europe's Newest Hot Spot | Offshoring Business Intelligence & Tools | EU Out-Sourcing Specialists Platform | German Market-Entry offshoring Vendor Services". Outsourcingmonitor.eu. 6 August 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  75. ^ http://www.ambsofia.um.dk/da/menu/Eksportraadgivning/Markedsmuligheder/Sektoranalyser/Outsourcing/
  76. ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/05/clever_job_hunt/
  77. ^ http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=29&set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=vn20041108015032552C925324
  78. ^ "Bulgarians uncover the birth of the Universe", dir.bg, December 21, 2007
  79. ^ "Even the famous leader of the Macedonian revolutionaries, Gotse Delchev, openly said that “We are Bulgarians” and addressed “the Slavs of Macedonia as ‘Bulgarians’ in an offhanded manner without seeming to indicate that such a designation was a point of contention”; See:The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World, Loring M. Danforth, Editor: Princeton University Press, 1997, ISBN 0691043566,p. 64.
  80. ^ "...Goce Delchev and the other leaders of the BMORK were aware of Serbian and Greek ambitions in Macedonia. More important, they were aware that neither Belgrade nor Athens could expect to obtain the whole of Macedonia and, unlike Bulgaria, looked forward to and urged partition of this land. Autonomy, then, was the best prophylactic against partition – a prophylactic that would preserve the Bulgarian character of Macedonia's Christian population despite the separation from Bulgaria proper..." See: The Macedoine, (pp. 307-328 in of "The National Question in Yugoslavia. Origins, History, Politics" by Ivo Banac, Cornell University Press, 1984)

See also

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