Armenians in Bulgaria
Total population | |
---|---|
6,552 (2011), estimation up to 80,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
(Minority) Eastern Armenian, Russian | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Armenian diaspora | |
All figures from [1] |
The main centres of the Armenian community in the country are the major cities Plovdiv (3,140 Armenians in Plovdiv Province in 2001), Varna (2,240 in Varna Province), Sofia (1,672) and Burgas (904 in Burgas Province).
The traditional language of the community is Western Armenian, though since education during the Communist period in Bulgaria was in Eastern Armenian, many are also fluent in the latter dialect. Bulgarian, being the official language, is spoken fluently by almost all Armenians in the country.
History
The Armenians that settled between the 6th and the 11th century in the
After both Bulgaria and
At the time of the
According to the archives, it was difficult for Armenians to obtain Bulgarian citizenship. For many years they lived with Nansen passports. However, these passports didn't give them full civil rights. This practice ended only in 1937–1942 for the Armenian men, and for the Armenian women – after 1944. However, some Armenians remained with Nansen passports, although they were a minority.[6]
During the Communist rule of Bulgaria (1944–1989) and the time of the
In the 1990s, after the
Many comparisons can be drawn between the struggles for freedom of Bulgaria and Armenia, chiefly based on the similarities between the Bulgarian and Armenian peasants.[8][9]
Culture, religion and media
The Armenians and their historical faith were an inspiration for noted Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov to write one of his most recognizable works, the poem Armentsi (Armenians), describing the Armenians as 'forlorn exiles, a miserable fragment; of an ever-brave martyr-people; little children of a troubled slavewoman-mother; and victims of a legendarily great feat':
Изгнаници клети, отломка нищожна
от винаги храбър народ мъченик,
дечица на майка робиня тревожна
и жертви на подвиг чутовно велик –
далеч от родина, в край чужди събрани,
изпити и бледни, в порутен бордей,
те пият, а тънат сърцата им в рани,
и пеят, тъй както през сълзи се пей.
Armenians, wretched exiles, tiny splinter
Of their ever valiant, long-suffering kin,
Of restless slave mother tough breed, in the winter –
The victims of their great exploit – or their sin –
From their homeland banished, in foreign land scattered,
Exhausted and pale, in a gloomy saloon,
Now drinking, as their hearts are bleeding, in tatters,
Now singing, through tears, the ballad of doom.(Translated by V.H., 2013)
Three Armenian newspapers are published in Bulgaria: Armentsi issued in Burgas every fortnight with a circulation of 3,500; the weekly Vahan issued in Plovdiv with a circulation of 1,000; and the weekly Erevan issued in Sofia.[3] The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) publishes a monthly bulletin Parekordzagani Tsayn.
There are a total of ten
Notable Bulgarian Armenians
- Armen Ambartsumyan, footballer (goalkeeper) and Armenia international
- Michael Arlen, writer
- Artine Artinian, French literature scholar
- Krikor Azaryan, theatre director
- UDFdeputy
- Raffi Bohosyan, winner of the first series of Bulgarian X Factor
- Steven Derounian, American congressman from New York
- Eduard Eranosyan, footballer and manager
- Magardich Halvadjian, film director and producer
- Vili Kazasyan, composer and conductor
- Kirkor Kirkorov, amateur boxer
- Agop Melkonyan, journalist and prolific SciFi author
- Stephen Sacklarian, Artist
- Armen Nazaryan, Greco-Roman wrestler (naturalized)
- Norair Nurikyan, weightlifter
Partially Armenian Bulgarians
- Philipp Kirkorov, singer, actor and television presenter
- Katerina Maleeva, tennis player
- Magdalena Maleeva, tennis player
- Manuela Maleeva, tennis player
- Alice Panikian, Miss Universe Canada 2006
- Sylvie Vartan, French pop singer and music hall impresario
See also
Footnotes
- ^ "01.03.2001 TO POPULATION BY DISTRICT AND ETHNIC GROUP". Sofia: REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA. NATIONAL STATISTICAL INSTITUTE. 2001. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
- ^ "Население по местоживеене, възраст и етническа група" (in Bulgarian). National Statistical Institute. 2011. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ a b c "Website of the Armenian community in Bulgaria" (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
- ^ a b c d "Armenians" (in Bulgarian). OMDA.bg. Archived from the original on 21 July 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
- ^ (in Russian) Андраник Озанян: Документы и материалы, Ереван, 1991.
- ^ Nazarska, Georgeta. "Културното многообразие на България: социодемографско проучване на арменската колония в Стара Загора (20-60-те години на ХХ в.)".
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ISBN 978-954-411-278-3.
- ^ N. and H. Buxton (1914). Travels and Politics in Armenia. London. pp. 31–32.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Philips Price, Morgan (1918). War and Revolution in Asiatic Russia. London: Allen and Unwin. p. 31.
References
- Мицева, Евгения (2001). Арменците в България — култура и идентичност (PDF) (in Bulgarian). София: IMIR. OCLC 50403838. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- Edouard Selian. The language of the Paulicians and Pomaks: http://www.saching.com/Articles/The-Language-of-the-Paulicians-and-Pomaks-17121.html
- (in Bulgarian) Едуард Селян. Коренът "джур" в българска езикова среда. Сп. “Филология”, Изд.: СУ "Св. Кл. Охридски", София, 1983, бр. 12 – 13, с. 137 – 139. (Selian, E. The Root “Jur“ in the Bulgarian Language Environment. Magazine “Philology”. Publisher: Sofia University “St. Kl. Ohridski”, Sofia, 1983, issue 12–13, p. 137–139).
- Peykovska, P. War and Migration in Bulgaria from 1912 to 1926, 2017
- Пейковска, П. Демографски аспекти на миграциите в България, 1912–1944, 2019