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We do not have a lot of information about activies Bulgarian boys engaged in and the clothes associated with those activies. Bulgaria for several centuries was part of the Ottoman Empire. We are not sure if any popular sctivites resulted from this long era. We know very little about children's play in Bulgaria. Some activities seem fairly standard such as school and youth groups. As in much of Europe, music seems important. Some children learned musical instruments. We notice some boy choirs. Religion of course was important during the Ottoman era. Most Bulgarians remained faithful to Orthodox Christianity. The Communist Government imposed by the Soviets after World War II conducted an atheism campaign which affects modern attitudes toward religion. We do not notice any special interest in sports. As in most countries, football today seems the primary sport. Wrestling seems popular.
As in much of Europe, music seems important which children and the fine arts. Some children learned musical instruments. e think thecGerman influence may be a factor here. We notice some boy choirs.
We see children in a range of family outings. This includes something as minor as visits to city parks. We know very little about the parks, but we have found images taken in the parks. There to seem to be some plesant well-tended parks. We are not sure when they first appeared. We do not have any 19th century images about the 19th century, but we do see 20th century images. Sofia in particular has many lovely parks and gardens.
The most impressive park located in the central part of city is the Boris’s Garden Park named so in honor of King Boris III (1918–1943). In the park Ariana pond is located where one can go boating or water wheeling from spring to late autumn. In winter the pond turns to the biggest open-air skating-rink in the city. There are tennis-courts, swimming pools, bicycle racing tracks, the Bulgarian Army Stadium and Vasil Levski National Stadium. The beautiful water lilies pond is Sofia citizens’ most popular place of romantic walks. Parks are something that Communist regimes often give some atteton to, the idea beung that they improved the life style of the working class. We do nte that the Communit regime which seized power after World War II (1945) established new arks and reserves. Some of the bet known parks are in the nountains of western Bulgaria. The economic failure of socialist economics of course seriouly affected the living standards of the population as well as the Governments ability to finance more than show case projects. We have no information on national parks in the country side. We do see a lot of family snapshots at beach vacations. Bulgaria has a Black Sea coast and aeatively warm climate. We also see family outings into the countryside. This was somewhat limited by the fact that so few Bugarians had family cars. Under Communist rule virtually no private citizens had a family car. We also see see families groups in rural areas. We think this was primarily visits to grandparents and the rural communities from which many city dwellers came. The Bulgarian Communist Party like other Communist regimes pursued a poliy of industrialization meaning urbanization. But like other Communist regimes, these industrial regimes rarely roved profitable mening they could not pay workers reasonable salaries. We do not see a lot of walking trips into the countrside as was popular in coutries like Britain and Germany, but all we have to go on at this time is the photographic record.
We know very little about children's play in Bulgaria.
Religion of course was important during the Ottoman era. Most Bulgarians espite Ottoman Muslim rule remained faithful to Orthodox Christianity. There was also a small Muslim and Jewish minority. Bulgaria under pressure joined the Axis, but was not occupied by the Germans. The Bulgarians managed to save their Jewish community, but trafically not the Jews in the areas of Greece and Yugoslavia occupied by the Bulgarian Army. The Communist Government imposed by the Soviets after World War II conducted an atheism campaign which affects modern attitudes toward religion. Bulgaria today is a largely Christian country, mostly Orthodox. But the importace of religion afer four decades of Communist rule is substatially reduced in modern Bulgarian society.
We do not yet know much about Bulgarian education. Little information is available on Bulgarian schoolwear. But one image provides some clues. We do not yet know if there were uniforms during the Communist years following World War II. For some reason, the Bulgarian scjool images we have found are mostly from the first hlf of the 20th century before the Communist seizure of power (1945). Given the Cmmunist attention to education, you would thibk that there would be many school images availavle from the Communis era. We are hopeful that Bulgarian readers will provide us some information about schoolwear.
We do not notice any special interest in sports. As in most countries, football today seems the primary sport. Wrestling seems popular.
The Boy Scouts were organized in Bulgaria duringthe early 20h century, although we have few details. We do not know if any nationalist groups were organized in Bulgaria during the inter-War period. After the World War II, the Communists seized power. The Bugarian Communust Psrty (BCP) banned Scouting and followed the Soviet model set up a party youth organization--the Communist Youth League of Bulgaria which was later renamed the Dimitrov Communist Youth League of Bulgaria and abbreviated as theo Komsomol. The organization for children was the Young Pioneers. The League sought to instill Socialist values among Bulgarian youth and to recruit future Party members. Membership peaked at 1.5 million members (1987).
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