Pan-handling Roma family in front of the Russian Church in Sofia

Roma people constitute the second largest minority and third largest ethnic group (after Bulgarians and Turks) in Bulgaria. According to the 2001 census, there were 370,908 Roma in Bulgaria, equivalent to 4.7% of the country's total population.^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1011x795, 825 KB) Gypsy Family. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1011x795, 825 KB) Gypsy Family. ... The Russian Church The Church of St Nicholas (църква „Свети Николай“), more commonly known as the Russian Church (Руската църква), is a Russian Orthodox church in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. ... Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Coordinates: Country Bulgaria Province Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Area    - City 1,310 km²  - Land (?) km²  - Water (?) km² Elevation 550 m Population    - City (15 September 2006) 1,246,791  - Density 907/km²  - Metro 1,377,761 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Website...

Roma are commonly referred to as tsigani (цигани, pronounced /'ʦiɡəni/), an exonym that some Roma resent, but others embrace. The form of the endonym Roma in Bulgarian is romi (роми). An exonym is a name for a place or people that is created by people outside of that place and is different from the name used in the native language. ...

Bulgaria participates in the Decade of Roma Inclusion, an initiative of European countries to better integrate Roma in the society. The rights of the Roma people in the country are also represented by various political parties and cultural organizations, most notably the Civil Union "Roma". Decade of Roma Inclusion logo The Decade of Roma Inclusion is an initiative of eight Central and Southeastern European countries to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Roma (gypsy) minority across the region. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... The Civil Union Roma (Graždansko Obedinenie Roma) is a political party in Bulgaria and represents the Roma minority. ...

Noted Bulgarian Roma include musicians Azis, Sofi Marinova and Ivo Papazov, surgeon Aleksandar Chirkov, politician Toma Tomov and footballer Marian Ognyanov. Aziz is a Bulgarian chalga folk singer known for cross-dressing. ... Sofi Marinova is a Romani singer from Bulgaria. ... Ivo Papazov (Bulgarian: ) (born 16 February 1952 in Kardzhali), nicknamed Ibryama (Bulgarian: ), is a Bulgarian clarinetist. ... Toma Tomov (born 21 May 1958) is a retired Bulgarian athlete who specialized in the 400 metres hurdles. ... Marian Ognyanov (Bulgarian: ) (born 30 July 1988) is a Bulgarian footballer. ...

Subgroups

Roma in Bulgaria are not a unified community in terms of culture and lifestyle. The most widespread subgroup of the Roma in the country are the yerlii or the 'local Roma', which are in turn divided into Bulgarian Gypsies (daskane roma) and Turkish Gypsies (horahane roma). The former are mostly Eastern Orthodox and to a smaller extent Protestant, while the latter are Muslim. Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ...

Other Roma subgroups include the conservative wandering Kalderash (sometimes referred to by the exonym Serbian Gypsies) that are Eastern Orthodox and the Rudari (or Ludari) who speak a dialect of Romanian and are known as Vlach Gypsies or Romanian Gypsies. They are further subdivided into three groups by their traditional craft: the Ursari or Mechkari ('bear trainers'), the Lingurari or Kopanari ('carpenters', primarily associated with wooden bowls) and the Lautari ('musicians'). they are the most conservative and compact copact Roma community. ... Boyash (or Bayash) (Romanian: Băeşi, Hungarian: Beás, Adjacent Slavic languages: Bojaši) are a Roma ethnic group living in Romania, in Southern Hungary, Balkans, but also in Americas and Australia. ... The Ursari (from the Romanian Urs, meaning bear) are bear trainers, of the Manush nation of Gypsy. ... Lăutari are traditional musicians performing traditional Gypsy songs. ...

Additionally, the offsprings of a Bulgarian and a Roma are referred to as dzhorevtsi (джоревци) or zhorevtsi (жоревци).^[2]

Demographics

Between the 2001 census and the one 1992 the number of Roma in the country has increased by 57,512, or 18.4%. Constituting 4.7% of the total population in 2001, the Roma were only 2.8% in 1910 and 2.0% in 1920.

The Roma are present in all provinces of Bulgaria, but they represent the highest portion of the population in Montana Province (12.5%) and Sliven Province (12.3%), with their share being smallest in Smolyan Province, where they are only 686, a negligible part of the population. Since 1999 Bulgaria is divided into 28 oblasts (provinces or regions) that correspond aproximatly to the 28 okrugs that existet before 1987. ... Montana is a province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia and Montenegro and Romania. ... Sliven province shown within Bulgaria Sliven is a province in central Bulgaria. ... Smolyan province shown within Bulgaria Smolyan is a province in southern Bulgaria. ...

There is no city, town or village in the country where Roma are the only ethnic group. The number of places where Roma dominate (i.e. constitute more than 50% of the population) has risen from the 1992 to the 2001 census.

Since 1999 Bulgaria is divided into 28 oblasts (provinces or regions) that correspond aproximatly to the 28 okrugs that existet before 1987. ... Blagoevgrad Province (Bulgarian: област Благоевград, oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област, Blagoevgradska oblast), also known as Pirin Macedonia (Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония, Pirinska Makedoniya), is a province (oblast) of southwestern Bulgaria. ... Burgas province shown within Bulgaria Burgas province or oblast is located in south-eastern Bulgaria, on the southern Black Sea coast. ... Dobrich province shown within Bulgaria Dobrich Province is a province in northeastern Bulgaria. ... Gabrovo province shown within Bulgaria Gabrovo is a small province lying at the geographical centre of Bulgaria. ... Khaskovo province shown within Bulgaria Haskovo is a province in southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece and Turkey to the south east. ... Kurdzhali province shown within Bulgaria Kardzhali (Bulgarian: ; Turkish: ) is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek prefectures of Xanthi and Rodhopi to the south and east. ... Kyustendil region shown within Bulgaria Kyustendil is a province of western Bulgaria, neighbouring Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro. ... Lovech region shown within Bulgaria Lovech is a province in central Bulgaria. ... Montana is a province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia and Montenegro and Romania. ... Pazardzhik region shown within Bulgaria Pazardzhik is a province in southern Bulgaria. ... Pernik region shown within Bulgaria Pernik is a province in western Bulgaria, neighbouring Serbia and Montenegro. ... Pleven region shown within Bulgaria Pleven is a province in northern Bulgaria, neighbouring Romania. ... Walls of the Hissarya fortress Plovdiv is an oblast, or province, of central Bulgaria, formerly part of Eastern Rumelia. ... Razgrad Province (Област Разград) is a province in northeastern Bulgaria. ... Ruse region shown within Bulgaria Ruse Province (Bulgarian: , Turkish: Rusçuk) is a province in northern Bulgaria (Ludogorie), neighbouring Romania. ... Shumen region shown within Bulgaria Shumen is a province in northeastern Bulgaria. ... Silistra province shown within Bulgaria Silistra is a province of Bulgaria, named for its main city, Silistra. ... Sliven province shown within Bulgaria Sliven is a province in central Bulgaria. ... Smolyan province shown within Bulgaria Smolyan is a province in southern Bulgaria. ... Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Coordinates: Country Bulgaria Province Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Area    - City 1,310 km²  - Land (?) km²  - Water (?) km² Elevation 550 m Population    - City (15 September 2006) 1,246,791  - Density 907/km²  - Metro 1,377,761 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Website... Sofia province shown within Bulgaria Sofia is a province of Bulgaria. ... Stara Zagora province shown within Bulgaria Stara Zagora is a province of south central Bulgaria. ... The town of Turgovishte (population: 40 775; 170 m above sea-level) is situated at the southern foot of the low mountain of Preslav along either bank of the Vrana River. ... Varna province shown within Bulgaria Varna is a province in northeastern Bulgaria, bordering the Black Sea. ... Veliko Turnovo province shown within Bulgaria Veliko Tarnovo is a province in the middle of the northern part of Bulgaria. ... Vidin province shown within Bulgaria Vidin is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. ... Vratsa province shown within Bulgaria Vratsa is a province of north western Bulgaria, neighbouring Romania. ... Yambol province shown within Bulgaria Yambol is a province in south eastern Bulgaria, neighbouring Turkey to the south. ...

References

General references

• Giordano, Christian; Andrea Boscoboinik, Dobrinka Kostova, Milena Benovska-Sabkova, Annabel Chanteraud (2003). Roma’s Identities in Southeast Europe: Bulgaria. Rome: Ethnobarometer. ISBN 88-88235-03-5.
• Slavkova, Magdalena; Yeris Erolova (2005). Study of the educational adjustment of the Roma population of Nova Zagora municipality (Bulgarian). IMIR.

Footnotes

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ...

External links

• Bulgarian Roma Info Centre
• Tehnitari Association
• Studii Romani Specialized Library with Archive
• The Gypsy Minority in Bulgaria – Policy and Community Development by Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov