A Lesson on Bulgaria: Bulgarian children from Larnaca go to the Rhodopes and BNR

Where, when, who, how and why are the five questions that guide the work of a journalist. We will use them today to tell you about the "Lesson on Bulgaria", which for 18 years the Bulgarian Sunday School "Dr. Petar Beron" has been delivering among compatriots more than 1,400 km away from the homeland. We are taking you to Larnaca. The city is the third largest in Cyprus, with a population of over 50,000 people. It is difficult to say exactly how many Bulgarians live in Larnaca but according to official data from the latest demographic survey in 2021, the Bulgarian citizens registered as residents of the island are 16,231 people. According to unofficial statistics, their number reaches over 35,000 people. These numbers make Bulgarians the third largest foreign community from the EU in Cyprus after Greeks and Romanians.

"There are Bulgarian families who have been living here for years," says Eleonora Angelova, head of the Bulgarian Sunday School "Dr. Peter Beron" in Larnaca. "There are also newcomers, but they are fewer. In general, the Bulgarian community is no longer as large as it was years ago, many of our compatriots have returned to their homeland. Living conditions here are no longer as favourable as they were years ago."

Eleonora Angelova has been living in Cyprus for 21 years. In 2008, a group of like-minded people founded the first and only Bulgarian Sunday School "Dr. Peter Beron" in the city of Larnaca, in which she started working. Its mission then and now is to preserve the Bulgarian language, culture and national identity among children from the Bulgarian community on the island. Over 80 children from grades 1 to 12 go to the school. Most of them were born and raised in Cyprus.

"That's why we are trying to create an environment for them in which the Bulgarian language is experienced, not just learned. Our participation in 2025 in the National Program of the Ministry of Education and Science 'Bulgaria - Educational Routes' is a natural continuation of our work with children," Eleonora Angelova tells Radio Bulgaria.

The return "home" of the students from the Bulgarian Sunday School "Dr. Petar Beron" in Larnaca took place at the end of October 2025 when they visited the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica, the "Vanga" complex in the "Rupite" area near Petrich, the Rozhen Monastery "Nativity of the VirginMary", the towns of Melnik and Bansko, the Rila Monastery and the National Historical Museum.

They tried to convey all the emotions they gathered through the materials with which they participated in the Radio Bulgaria initiative "A Lesson on Bulgaria." See the video of their adventure:

"Together with my classmates and teachers, we went to Bulgaria for five days," says Alejandro Ivanov, who is in the 12th grade of the Bulgarian school and returns to his memories of a trip to Bulgaria with classmates in 2024. "It was my first time travelling with the school and we had a wonderful time. Of all the sights and places we visited, I can't choose one that is my favourite. I liked the town of Smolyan as it was very beautiful. In Pamporovo, despite the cold, which we are not used to, it was still wonderful. The Devil's Throat Cave is a very beautiful, but slightly scary place. I am looking forward to the next trip to Bulgaria."

"One place in Bulgaria that left us with great impressions was the Devil's Throat Cave. This is a truly mysterious place and is one of the most famous caves in the Rhodope Mountains. Legend has it that it is the entrance to the underworld," says Nikol Petkova, who is in the 11th grade of the Bulgarian school and her classmate Ivanina adds: "According to legend, Orpheus entered the underworld to find his beloved Eurydice, but he never found her. That is why the place is called Devil's Throat."

In 2025, their route was in Southwestern Bulgaria and the adventure for the children and their teachers ended in Sofia with a visit to the presidency, the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, the parliament and an unforgettable meeting with the Radio Bulgaria team in the Bulgarian National Radio.

"We were very warmly welcomed at the Bulgarian National Radio. The team there that welcomed us was very friendly. The children felt very good, they spoke freely with all your colleagues," Eleonora Angelova recalls.

Bulgaria is not an unknown destination for the children who have come here with their families, but this trip was different and unforgettable because of the shared experience with classmates and friends.

"We hope to continue to be part of the program and to give more children the opportunity to experience Bulgaria - with emotions and a sense of belonging. What they experience during these trips leaves a deep memory in them that will be remembered for a long time."

Love and care: The key to success at the Bulgarian Sunday School in Larnaca

More from the initiative "A Lesson on Bulgaria":

A Lesson on Bulgaria: Knowledge becomes shield for Bulgarian children in Skopje

A Lesson on Bulgaria... with the students of Hristo Botev School in Bratislava

A Lesson on Bulgaria… with the Abagar Bulgarian school in Rome, Italy

A Lesson on Bulgaria… with Rayna Knyaginya Bulgarian School in Burgos, Spain