On the eve of one of the brightest holidays, the Christmas Town of the Ruse Municipality turned out to be cramped to accommodate the members of the National Community Center "Prosveta - 1915", who kept the tradition and called for health, prosperity and well-being. The Christmas carolers were welcomed by the "owner" of the town - the mayor Pencho Milkov.

"This ritual is performed to remain in the heart and soul of every person. Only by preserving traditions will we preserve ourselves as a people and move forward, succeeding," said the mayor. He wished the people of Ruse and the guests of the city to welcome the approaching Christmas and New Year holidays with their loved ones in peace and warmth.

The participants presented carols, including those dedicated to Saint George - the patron saint of the city. In the spirit of the ritual, they also "sang" the maiden from the reenactment of the customs "Christmas Eve" and "Caroling", recreating scenes filled with the magic of Bulgarian tradition. The most attractive participant was two-year-old Simeon, who is participating in the ritual for the first time.

The festive table was the center of attention. Blessings for health and fertility were pronounced at it, predictions were made for the new year, and the ritual bread "Bogovitsa" was solemnly broken. The mayor also contributed to the ritual by tying a strong knot on a traditional woven cloth - a symbol of health and prosperity.

Those present and participants enjoyed the traditional Christmas banitsa and the ritual pita, which complemented the festive atmosphere.

The event is part of the Christmas and New Year Festival of the Municipality of Ruse and is organized by the folklore ensemble for authentic customs and rituals at the National Community Center "Prosveta - 1915"  in the district "Dolapite" under the artistic direction of the chairman Snezhana Atanasova.

"We have commissioned a large-scale renovation of the swimming pool of the sports school in Ruse, which has not been done since the building was built. The conditions in which the children train are one of the reasons for them to achieve high sports results." This was stated by Mayor Pencho Milkov during his visit today to the Sports School "Major At. Uzunov" to inspect the swimming pool in the educational institution and its adjacent premises. He was accompanied by his deputy Borislav Rachev and the director of the ME "Sports Properties" Lachezar Ivanov.

The activities include a complete renovation of the cladding of the facility, as well as the room in which it is located. The sanitary facilities and changing rooms are currently being renovated. Preparations are also being made for a complete renovation of the moisture removal system, which has not been done for decades. In this way, the conditions of the users of the swimming pool from both the school and sports clubs, as well as from citizens, will be significantly improved. The activities are part of the overall policy of the Municipality of Ruse to provide a better environment for the development of swimming sports.

The renovation of the boxing hall, located in the school where the Lokomotiv Sports Club trains, was recently completed. Activities were carried out on the energy efficiency of the room, as well as a complete renovation of the sanitary facilities and changing rooms. A wall in the hall was also painted with the colors of the Bulgarian tricolor.

We recall that in 2021, the swimming pool in the sports school and the boxing hall were transferred to the management of the ME "Sports Properties", following a decision of the Municipal Council. Since then, they have been managed by the Municipality of Ruse, in order to give more people the opportunity to develop their favorite sports and to meet the expectations of the sports clubs. The decision came after a letter from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which indicated that the school's budget was not sufficient to ensure the educational and training process.

The traditional Christmas concert of the Children's and Girls' Choir "Danube Waves" at the Municipal Children's Center for Culture and Art was held in the "Europe" hall of the Dokhodno zdanie. Under the leadership of conductor Vesela Todorova and accompanied by pianist Gergana Vicheva, the concert presented a diverse musical program, including works by Bulgarian and international composers.

The event was honored by the Deputy Mayor of Ruse Municipality Nikola Lazarov, who welcomed the participants and attendees on behalf of Mayor Pencho Milkov. In his address, Lazarov drew attention to the significant successes of the Children's Choir "Danube Waves" achieved in 2024, including two awards won in September at the International Choir Festival "Music and the Sea" in Greece. Then the choir won first place in the "Children's Choirs" category, and Vesela Todorova was awarded the special award for best conductor. We remind you that the Women's Chamber Choir "Danube Waves" at the "Angel Kanchev 1901" National Community Center also participated in the same competition, which also impressed the audience and the jury.

The program of the Christmas concert included performances of works by Boris Karadimchev, Petar Leondev, Lyubomir Denev, Hristo Nedyalkov, Petar Petrov, as well as a number of popular Christmas songs.

The Women's Chamber Choir "Danube Waves" at the "Angel Kanchev 1901" National Community Center also participated in the concert with performances of works by Dobri Hristov, Robert Schumann, John Davis, Debbie Wood and Mikhail Leontovich, as well as traditional Spanish, French and Polish Christmas songs.

The Municipal Youth House with the kind assistance of the Association "Euroregion Danubius' invite residents and guests of the city to a festive choral concert. The event will take place on December 18 /Wednesday/ at 18:30 in the Europa Hall of the Revenue Building.

The concert will be attended by the St. George Victorious Choir with conductor Mina Vlaikova, pianist Bozhena Ivanova and choirmaster Bilyana Ivanova, as well as the Wallachia Choir at the National School of Arts at the Regional Center for the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture in Gürgevo, Romania, with conductor Prof. Carmen Michaela Pecanka.

The repertoire of the two people includes winter, love and traditional Christmas songs.

The concert is free to enter.

Priests light up renovated jiu-jitsu hall

In the jiu-jitsu hall on "Dorostol" str. a waterlight was performed on the occasion of the completed renovation of the premises. Father Aleko Rachev and monk Vasily performed a prayer for the health of coaches, competitors and their relatives and blessed the athletes for even greater success.

The guest of the celebration was the Mayor Pencho Milkov, who welcomed everyone with the modernized hall. He awarded two of the most prominent martial arts competitors from the Dynamo sports club - Valentin Khaserdzhiev and Rumen Verbanov. They received cash prizes for winning championship titles at the Balkan Jiu Jiu Championship in the Romanian city of Pitesti and at the World Championship on the island of Crete in Greece.

Valentin Khaserdzhiev became the world champion and won a gold medal in Crete in the category Fighting male U14 up to 56 kg. The 13-year-old student from Primery school "Ivan Vazov" also won a silver medal in the category Battling male U14 down to 56 kg at the Balkan Championship in Pitesh. The mayor gave him a congratulatory address and commented that he treats Valentine with respect for his victories and is convinced that the young man will be an example for many people. 

Rumen Verbanov won a gold medal in the Fighting Male U14 to 48 kg category in Pyesti and became the Balkan champion. At the World Championships in the same category, the sixth-grader from MG "Baba Tonka" took seventh place. The mayor gave him a congratulatory address and wished him to continue to glorify Ruse. "In the look of this young man I see extraordinary strength and will to win," said Milkov.

"The whole club "Dynamo" glorifies Ruse. There is no competition from which its athletes do not come back with medals. I hope the renovated hall will motivate even more children to come and train, and you, the current athletes, to be an example to them," the mayor said. He also commended the head coach and head of SC "Dynamo", Borislav Kisev, for the successes achieved by the club in national and international tournaments.

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Mayor Borislav Rachev and the director of ME "Sports Properties" Lachezar Ivanov.