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.

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.

The guest performer will be the beloved Ruse singer Nelina

More than 40 attractive prizes, provided by the Municipality of Ruse and "Municipal Markets" Ltd., await the winners of this year's Christmas pageant. The event is free and will take place from 2 p.m. on December 15 (Sunday) in the largest hall in the city - "Arena Ruse".

A total of 30 pairs of competitors will take part in the contested competition. They are representatives of: FTT "Naiden Kirov", the ensembles "Zornitsa", "Zdravets" and "Ruschukliyche" at the Municipal Children's Center for Culture and Art and the Folklore Dance Studio "Zora" at the Municipal Youth Center. The difficult task of evaluating their mastery is assigned to the three-member jury, chaired by the choreographer and director of the Professional Folklore Ensemble “Mizia” – Targovishte Lyubcho Vassilev, and members – Dr. Katya Kairyakova – choreographer and lecturer at the Varna Free University, and Denitsa Ancheva – choreographer and lecturer at the National School of Arts “Prof. Veselin Stoyanov”.

In addition to the contested battle in the three age groups, the audience will also enjoy the performances of the Bulgarian Folk Club “Nashentsi”, Dance Cooperative “Zhaltitsa”, Folk Dance School “Igraortsi”, Folk Dance Club “Rodolyubets”, Folklore Teacher “Orisia”, Sports and Dance Club “Flamingo Etno”, Folk Dance Club “Elbetitsa” at the Secondary School for European Languages “St. Konstantin-Kiril Philosopher” and Folk Dance School “Vito Horo”, which will make their debut.

The audience will also be given a chance to perform, as the competition will be individual, and the condition is that the participants must be over 18 years old.

The emotions and good Christmas mood will be complemented by the folklore program, which the beloved singer Nelina will present to the audience in her hometown.

The campaign of the Municipal Foundation "Ruse - City of the Free Spirit" for accepting project proposals for the upcoming 2025 has begun. The Foundation will continue to work actively in two main areas:

- Supporting citizens with outstanding gifts from the municipality of Ruse;

- Organizing and supporting local initiatives.

Through the "Faces of Ruse" Fund, the Foundation lends a hand to talented Ruse residents who are active in the fields of culture, art, education, science and new technologies, and sports, who represent our city in a dignified manner in our country and to the world. Applications for support are accepted year-round and are not subject to a deadline. Applications are approved in accordance with the terms of the Rules for Support through Donations or Grants and Awarding of Individuals with Outstanding Gifts from the Municipality of Ruse and the funds available in the Fund.

Through the "Local Initiatives" Fund, the Foundation will continue to support and organize large-scale innovative events. In this regard, before forming the program for 2025, the team of the Foundation "Ruse - City of the Free Spirit" wants to conduct a survey of the attitudes and expectations of the general public. Therefore, from December 9, 2024 to January 31, 2025, the campaign to collect project ideas is underway, which can be in the following areas:

- Large-scale and innovative events;

- Culture and art;

- Mass sports;

- Education, science and new technologies.

We are waiting for your proposals on paper at the Foundation's office at: Ruse, 15 Knyazheska Str., 1st floor or by e-mail: rusefreespiritcity@gmail.com. To form the Project Proposals, use the form "Request for financing of local initiatives", which you will find on the Foundation's website in the "About us" / "Financing" section - http://free-spirit-city.eu/finansirane.

You can receive answers to all questions related to the current campaign for collecting project ideas by e-mail: rusefreespiritcity@gmail.com. All submitted proposals will be considered by the Foundation's Board of Directors, and the authors of the best ones will be invited to an interview regarding their implementation. The projects approved for funding will be announced in March. We remind you that project ideas will be implemented only if funding is secured.