The chitalishte is a typical Bulgarian public institution, where people of different ages can enroll in a foreign language, dance, music, and other courses. The word chitalishte derives from the verb "to read" or "reader," and it's used as a community center, library, and theater.
The first library opened in Lom, on the Danube, in 1848, when a teacher set up his personal library in one of the classrooms and named it chitalishte above the door. A similar phenomenon happened in 1856, in Svishtov, another town on the Danube. Within months, the phenomena spread throughout Bulgaria, from the Danubian Plain to the Valley of Roses, to Macedonia. Lom and Svishtov continue to argue which chitalishte was responsible for the phenomenon.
After five centuries of Ottoman domination, which resulted in Bulgaria being isolated from the rest of Europe, change was finally in the offing, as the Ottoman Empire was slowly modernizing. As a result of this trend, chitalishta began to open in mass after 1856. Chitalishta remained a critical source of culture and education for Bulgarians as it was rapidly modernizing, after the restoration of the Bulgarian state in 1878.
The Communist Party took power in 1944, which forced the Chitalishta to adapt to a new over-regulated society. State funding and control replaced local initiatives and donations. Bulgarian folk artistry was a must, promoting a sanitized version of traditional music and dance in the villages, which were dying out due to migration to the cities, as well as discouragement of "backward" traditions.
In 1989, the collapse of Communism had a significant impact on chitalishta. There was a massive migration to new cities as well as abroad. Most of the hardest-hit communities had long-standing traditions of chitalishta. Centralized control over their activities occurred, as well as the promotion of propaganda for the socialist order.
As a way to promote, Chitalishta organizations are central to the process of transmitting intangible cultural heritage, and their elderly members help in encouraging young people to get involved. In addition to the growing number of participants in their activities, chitalishte has demonstrated its effectiveness by its increasing numbers over the years.
With the goal of making intangible cultural heritage more popular, Chitalishta organizes festivals, celebrations, gatherings, and exhibitions. They have also established local centers for documenting, archiving and passing on the information and skills they have accumulated over the years. Now we can learn from this kind of an excellent example of how local traditions can overcome the limitations of political systems and funding.
The chitalishte is a typical Bulgarian public institution, where people of different ages can enroll in a foreign language, dance, music, and other courses. The word chitalishte derives from the verb "to read" or "reader," and it's used as a community center, library, and theater. The first library opened in Lom, on the Danube, in 1848, when a teacher set up his personal library in one of the classrooms. And named it chitalishte above the door. A similar phenomenon happened in 1856, in Svishtov, another town on the Danube. Within months, the phenomena spread throughout Bulgaria, from the Danubian Plain to the Valley of Roses, to Macedonia. Lom and Svishtov continue to argue which chitalishte was responsible for the phenomenon.
After almost five centuries of Ottoman domination, which resulted in Bulgaria being isolated from the rest of Europe, change was finally in the offing, as the Ottoman Empire was slowly modernizing. As a result of this trend, chitalishta began to open in mass after 1856. Chitalishta remained a critical source of culture and education for Bulgarians as it was rapidly modernizing, after the restoration of the Bulgarian state in 1878.
The Communist party took power in 1944, which forced the Chitalishta to adapt to a new over-regulated society. State funding and control replaced local initiatives and donations. Bulgarian folk artistry was a must, promoting a sanitized version of traditional music and dance in the villages, which were dying out due to migration to the cities, as well as discouragement of "backward" traditions. In 1989, the collapse of Communism had a significant impact on chitalishta. There was a massive migration to new cities as well as abroad. Most of the hardest-hit communities had long-standing traditions of chitalishta. Centralized control over their activities occurred, as well as the promotion of propaganda for the socialist order.
As a way to promote, Chitalishta organizations are central to the process of transmitting intangible cultural heritage, and their elderly members help in encouraging young people to get involved. In addition to the growing number of participants in their activities, chitalishte has demonstrated its effectiveness by its increasing numbers over the years. With the goal of making intangible cultural heritage more popular, Chitalishta organizes festivals, celebrations, gatherings, exhibitions, and more. They have also established local centers for documenting, archiving and passing on the information and skills they have accumulated over the years. Now we can learn from this kind of an excellent example of how local traditions can overcome the limitations of political systems and funding.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/BSP/bulgarian-chitalishte-community-cultural-centre-practical-experience-in-safeguarding-the-vitality-of-the-intangible-cultural-heritage-00969) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitalishte) (https://vagabond.bg/what-chitalishte-3029) |Subject=Art, dance, Music, Verbal Arts and Literature |Country=Bulgaria }}