Bulgarian children take part in a reading competition in Paris

On June 27, little guardians of the Bulgarian language will gather in Paris for the 10th International Bulgarian Reading Contest. The event is hosted by the Bulgarian Sunday School "Cyril and Methodius", which welcomes first and second graders from eight European countries. The contest, created at the initiative of the "Az Buki Vedi" school in Cologne, visits a different city every year to motivate children who are just entering the vast world of the Cyrillic alphabet.

In the tenth edition, 65 children from 30 schools in different countries will compete. "The most numerous are the groups from UK and Germany, but representatives from Ukraine are also present and the experience of the competition will also be studied by the head of the "Little Bulgarian School" in Chicago," Kamelia Triboulin-Konaktchieva, head of the host school, told Radio Bulgaria.

The competition consists of three stages: reading a familiar text, unfamiliar prose, and a finale with an unfamiliar text in measured speech for the best contenders. According to Ms. Triboulin, this event contributes to building a connection with Bulgaria through language, especially among children born abroad, where not always both parents are Bulgarian:

"This contest is a typical example of a large-scale campaign aimed at encouraging children's motivation at the moment they can already read the Cyrillic alphabet. At this age, they begin to independently enter the vast field of literature. I am often asked why this competition is so valuable. Precisely because children leave with bags full of books and have seen how many people applaud them. They feel motivated because they have crossed the threshold of independently reading in Bulgarian."

Not only tests, but also a real celebration is prepared for the participants:

"During the breaks, since we are in our beautiful school premises in Paris, we will be able to provide many activities for the children both in the yard and in the rooms with workshops. There will be a variety of surprises and emotional moments in connection with the blowing out of the 10 candles of the competition itself. We want everything to be related to fun, so there will also be a book stand, including for parents. We really hope that all the children will leave happy and awarded, regardless of the fact that there will be one king or queen for the first and second grades."

The Minister of Education, Prof. Georgi Valchev, as well as representatives of state institutions, including the head of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Raina Mandzhukova are expected to be among the official guests.

The host school has a long history and continues to build a community.

The school was founded in 2006 with the assistance of Irina Bokova (then Bulgarian Ambassador to France), who was a special guest at the closing of the school year. Kamelia Triboulin also told us about a rare achievement for Sunday schools abroad – this year her school had 10 graduates, nine of whom had been together since first grade.

In addition to academic success, the school is known for its traditions, which include the active involvement of parents. This year again the French "singing dads" thrilled the attendees with Bulgarian songs.

"The dads are our bonus, but let's not forget that we also have some mothers who, with just one hour of practice a week, manage to perform very beautiful folk dances. This serves as motivation for them to get up on Saturday morning, bring their children to school and create a wonderful atmosphere."

This is how a family is built – with smiles and a shared love for Bulgarian traditions. The Bulgarian reading competition on June 27 will be yet another proof that the Bulgarian language abroad is not just a subject to study, but a glue for a large community.

Expect up-to-date publications from the competition in Paris. The Bulgarian National Radio is media partner of this beautiful event and Radio Bulgaria will have its representative there - editor-in-chief Krasimir Martinov.