Class Parent Visits with First Graders to Share Bulgarian Culture and Traditions

Bulgaria may be of small size geographically, but the Balkan nation possesses a rich abundance of ancient history, culture and tradition.

Our first graders recently explored Bulgarian culture and language with class parent Rali Dimitrova, who visited the boys in our Lower School Library to share her family's culture and traditions with her son's class.

The boys learned that Bulgaria is world famous for its roses and holds a Rose Festival every year. They explored the country's music and dance traditions, watched a video of the national horo dance, and a few even got up and tried it out. They also discovered that Bulgaria is one of the few countries that uses the Cyrillic alphabet, invented by Bulgarians in the ninth century; and that Bulgarians welcome guests to their homes with bread (pita), honey and salt.

Most intriguing of all was discussion of Bulgaria's "Golden Treasures" including Varna --the mysterious and oldest known golden treasure in the world, dating to the 5th millennium BCE.

Mrs. Dimitrova's visit was sponsored by our Committee on Community and Inclusion (COCI) in an initiative that invites parents or other family members to the school, virtually or in person, to share their family's cultural heritage with their son's classmates, broadening boys' knowledge of various cultures and engaging them in activities that reflect the diversity of our country and our school. COCI's mission is to ensure that every family feels connected and part of our extraordinary school community.

Appreciation to Mrs. Dimitrova for visiting with the class, Lower School Librarian Gretchen King for coordinating the event and finding a children's book on Bulgaria to add to the Lower School library, and to COCI chairs Kavita Dolan and Maria Suarez. The efforts of their committee serve to further strengthen the bonds of the Saint David's community.

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