Today in Bulgaria live and work as bulgarian citizens around 60 000 greeks. They have different historical background and formed 4 main streams of the greek minority in Bulgaria.

The 4 subgroups are as following on the map:

Red: the political immigrants of greek origin. They remain mainly in the capital Sofia, but there are very small family groups in the province too. They are the only greek group with traditional high position in the bulgarian society and have members with political and economic influence even today. Most of them went back in Greece and today there are 3 000 - 4 000 of them in Bulgaria.

Blue: the old greek population of the interior of the country. Most of this small group is centered in the city of Filippoupoli or Plovdiv and represent the old greek population of the land at least from the Medieval times. Small shattered and dieing communities can be found in Sakar and Strandza region from Leuka to Megalo monastiri, Drama and even Yampoli (Yambol). A small number of people of greek decent with knowledge of greek can be found in Strimonas (Struma) valley from Purinos (Pirin) mountain side and the north foots of Rodopi mountains around Stenimaxos (Asenovgrad) and Peristera (Pestera). Today this community is the smallest greek community in Bulgaria numbering around 3 000.

Grey: the Black sea greek community. Traditionally and historically this community was with greater importance through the ages. The most important greek centers were located on the Black sea coast or near it like: Apolonia (Swzopoli-Sozopol), Purgos (Burgas), Mesimbria (Nesebar), Anxialos (Pomorie), Aga8oupoli (Axtoupoli-Ahtopol), Basiliko (Tsarevo), Aetos (Aitos), Skafida (Dimcevo), Buza (Primorsko), Zwida (Tsoida-M. Tarnovo), Aspros (Obzor), Rabeda (Ravda), Axeloos (Aheloi), Odessos (Varna) and many more.
This greek community was the majority of the population of the Bulgarian Black sea region until the early XX century and formed the bulgarian Black sea style and way of live. This group historically influence the eastern bulgarian groups and give them their architecture and elements of lifestyle. This historically most important greek group of Bulgaria lost most of her traditions with the time, but not her self-consciousness and the usage of the greek language. They numbered 20 000 - 25 000 and with the democratization of Bulgaria open their own greek schools and clubs, needed for the survival of the community.

Green: this show the sarakatsanoi greeks who came in the bulgarian land with their herds in XIX century. The sarakatsanoi can be found mainly in the Balkan mountains from Silimnos (Sliven) in the east to Panigiris (Panagiuriste) in the west. From the XIX century they represent the only mountainous people in the Balkan mountain (after the bulgarias moved to the plains) since our days and have a nomadic culture with strong traditional greek families. It can be said a lot about this living greek group which saved her traditions and family bonds in excellent shape. This greek community numbered around 30 000 - 40 000 and most probably will take the role of main consolidation center and moving power for the greek minority in Bulgaria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCb6umoJJVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Mp2fCRn3U&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Y3FN6oZ9M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP7nsJrhK1g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzpCuKhU3BQ

And the sarakatsanoi in Greece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SraRM4Tp3g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6QuAY9NMDY&feature=related




***The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing***

Glenti sarakatsanaiwn foititwn (sthn Thessaloniki)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYqgkzt7rpg



***The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing***

 

Good research. Where did you find the info?

Do they keep their identity?

 

Geia sou @Krateros aderfe mou

***Good research. Where did you find the info?***

Tks file. I always have interest in this field as a person connected with those matters and gather information about it from many years. Most of all I use to speak with locals, friends and people who have knowledge about this matter from the minority itself and outside it and combine it with what I learn from the history books. About the group of the communist greeks in Bulgaria I have first hand info about their position in the society and their numbers. The rest greek groups in Bulgaria are mine main interest to learn and would like to help the minority most of all with scientific work in the field of history and present.

***Do they keep their identity?***

Yes they do. Most of them try to learn their children greek and to speak with them using the language as mother tongue. However in mixed families where the mother is non greek is difficult to be achieved and the children use the language as second native tongue.
About the other traditions:
Most of the greek groups in here follow the major development it the greek and bulgarian society. They do not use greek symbols to parade with, but there are community fests and occasions which help the unity of a group. The most advanced greek group in this field is the sarakatsanoi tribe. MOst of them lost their common profession with the confiscation of their herds many years from now and became mostly urban population. However they continue to gather in Karandila place where the members of their folklore clubs dress traditional greek cloths and dance traditional sarakatsanikos xoros. No other greek group in Bulgaria do it to preserve their own traditions except in the most southern part of Black sea greek group where they dance the traditional Anastenaria danchttp://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%91%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%BD%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%B1 In english: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestinarstvo



***The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing***

Do  you know if the communists tried to assimilate them like they did to the Turks ?

Do they have greek schools?

Do we do anything to help them ?

Do you know what the Bulgarians teach in their schools about Cyrrilos and Methodios?

Do they think that they are indegenous or they came from Central Asia ?

Do they still think they are the Prussians of Balkans ?

Do you know in general that they hate us ?

Kr

@Krateros

***Do you know if the communists tried to assimilate them like they did to the Turks ?***

Well, the bulgarian state try to assimilate the bulgarian greeks long time before the communist regime came into power. There was relatively good success on this, because the both people are orthodox and mix easily. If we talk about culture, yes there was a campaign for many years before the communist regime which try to destroy the greek culture in the bulgarian lands. There were different periods of intensity of this campaign corresponding with the overall state in Bulgaria. The bad moments for the country were also bad moments for the greek community when the fascism grow and the "cultural campaign" harden. The expression of this is most of all destruction by dividing of the greek culture of: tracian, black sea and sarakatsanian with the explanation they are not greek and are not part of one single thing.
Also, the change of the names of the greeks in Bulgaria was old politics and not new phenomenon and does not came with the communist regime like in the muslim case. Most of the greeks of the Black sea group and the old inland group changed their names after the population exchange between Bulgaria and Greece in the 20`s.

***Do they have greek schools?***

They are not exactly schools, but the minority have the right to educate their kids in greek language in the minority clubs. No other disciplines are allowed. For example: only schools can provide teaching of history, mathematics, geography and so on. I believe is needed more, but until now that`s all.

***Do we do anything to help them ?***

If you mean help provided by the hellenic state, yes they help but extremely limited. Most of all they help some foundations with limited social care and cultural work. Nothing special and most of all not enough. If we talk about help from greek nationals or greeks from the diaspora I would say there is no interest toward the greeks in Bulgaria at all. Only greeks who have relatives in Bulgaria try to help the minority, but the help here is also limited and not enough.

***Do you know what the Bulgarians teach in their schools about Cyrrilos and Methodios?***

Yes I know. I myself was educated in Bulgaria. However I would say that there is certain evolution and if in the time when I was a pupil they were bulgarians who gave to the world the Cyrillic alphabet, now they are Byzantines from Thessaloniki (Solun), who were send by the byzantine basileus to teach the bulgarians.

***Do they think that they are indegenous or they came from Central Asia ?***

Are we talking about the bulgarians or the greeks in Bulgaria? The history of the bulgarian people is clear enough. The greek minority also have clear history of all its groups.

***Do they still think they are the Prussians of Balkans ?***

The bulgarians are one of the best peoples in the Balkans in turn of war and battles and the history (from old and new times) acknowledge that. A military conflict is most of all a psychical confrontation and the bulgarians preserved their "war quality" in much more difficult times than the present. If we talk about today`s military equipment of the bulgarian army I believe the most wide spread opinion among the bulgarian people will be that the bulgarian army is not the best in the Balkans, but one of the best and in short time it can become even greater.

***Do you know in general that they hate us ?***

No, you delude yourself aderfe mou. Only a fascist can hate the different peoples and not a nation. If you talk about the bulgarian fascists I can assure you they hate almost everything and everyone, but this is a classical fascist case around the world.


***The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing***

 

Hate comes from people who feel loosers.

Commies hate the nationalists and all non commies since they did not manage to make Greece another poor Balkan country. (although the socialists managed to make us loose valuable time)

.

 

@Krateros

***Hate comes from people who feel loosers.***

I agree on this aderfe mou.

***Commies hate the nationalists and all non commies since they did not manage to make Greece another poor Balkan country.***

LOL

Do you really believe I hate you?!?

P.S.: BTW if Greece was a communist country in XX century she would have great weapon systems in the past and great friend and ally like the Soviet union and most of the national issues like Cypros, Eastern Thrace with Konstantinoupoli and even more would be desided in greek favour decades from now...Moreover the greek minorities in Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, USSR and Lybia would never experienced degradation and in many cases annihilation.


***The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing***

If Greece was a commie country ???

Dogma is not good my friend. Your grand father maybe was a commie but you do not have to.

Party dogma is like religion dogma. Both do not allow the human brain to funtion properly.

B.T.W. I come from a cenre left family.

 

@Krateros aderfe,

***Dogma is not good my friend. Your grand father maybe was a commie but you do not have to.***

Dogma means law file mou. I believe the human society was created to follow law and order. Every society have his laws which comes from his religious path and political igeology, history and tradition. I believe the Orthodox christianily and the Communism give the best law and order the world can imagine today not because my family fight in the name of the good in the last 200 years, but because I`m convince in what I`m saying by reading, observing and realizing...

***Party dogma is like religion dogma. Both do not allow the human brain to funtion properly.***

Well, I believe my brain function more than well. Do you think otherwise aderfe mou?
Who have the ability to think properly and have enough living expitience can not lose his sense. Otherwise the human race would be destroyed centuries from now.

***B.T.W. I come from a cenre left family.***

Good to hear aderfe moy. BTW every human being is in some way socialist even if this apply only to the rules in his family. And the Socialism is the only first step in the way of building Communism.

***The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing***

Dogma are laws nobody can question or change.

Dogma is not democracy.

Dogma does not allow free thinking outside the limited boundaries.

Religious dogma did not allow people to speak up that the earth is not the centre of universe.

BTW

I may come from centre left family but i now vote only right or even far right.

My family mostly does not vote anymore centre left as well.

Kr

Also many former communist guerrilas fled to former Warsaw pact countries like Bulgaria after the total defeat of the "Demokratik" army by the Hellenic army so they would not be prosecuted for war crimes commited against the Greek people.

 

My personal experience with Boulgarians is that their "high" class has a complex of "false" superiority against us same as the monkeydonians have.

in general they want to consider themselves as northern people while we are kind of Arabs - back ward mediteraneas.

i start revising my approach to these people and how friendly they can be. with us.

Kr