Родопска Област
Rhodope Region
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The Rhodope region, or in Bulgarian "Rodopska oblast", is located in the south-western part of Bulgaria (number 3 on the image), where the Rhodope mountains are located. It is a small mountainous region enveloped by the Thrace region. The folklore there is a little more different than that of other regions. Because of the presence of mountains, agriculture was not the main activity. The folklore there is linked more to animals than to agriculture. The songs allude to the love of the herd, the family and the home. In addition, because of the mountainous climate and the strong sheep breeding, the majority of clothing is made of wool.
Dance
In this region, dance involves many diverse movements and is almost always accompanied by a song rather than by instrumental music. Men dance slowly and ungraciously with their legs parted and often slightly crouched to the ground. The women, on the other side, dance very close to each other. They put all their weight when they dance and walk on the entire sole of the foot. Because of this the dance does not involve many jumps and if there are any, they are performed as close to the ground as possible. The female dance of this region resembles a walk rather than a rhythmic show.
The famous dances of this region are: Svornato horo and chukano horo.
The Traditional Clothes
For Women
The traditional costume of the woman is composed of a long black woolen coat, called "vulnik", dressed over a white shirt. Then there is a short black jacket with long sleeves made of the same material as the "vulnik". This jacket is called a "mersjan". On the head, we wear a bright red fabric which should cover most of the woman's hair and part of the forehead. Finally, over the dress, we attach a red belt and a checkered apron. The colors embroidered on the apron are yellow, orange or green.
For Men
The best-known clothing in this region is of the dark clothing type. It is brown with black embroidery on the sides. The pants, tight at the ankles and loose at the hips, are called "poturi". It is a popular pattern in men's Bulgarian folk clothes. One difference is that these are made of wool just like the jacket and shirt. The thick red belt wraps around the waist to hold the pants and measures approximately 3 meters in length. There is also a classic black hat called "kalpak".
infos:
https://cqlo.info/bulgarian-folk-dances/
https://narodninosii.bg/blog/nosii/
https://narodninosii.bg/blog/vizitki-nosii/
photos:
http://www.lostbulgaria.com/?s=%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8&paged=7
http://shop.pensiluet.com/damski-narodni-nosii
http://www.shevitsa.com/index.php?menu=9