Can anyone please tell me about the bells which ring in the village? We have been told so many different reasons and would really like to know for definite in case we put our foot in it.

They are very frequent in this village. In the last week there have been 1, 2 and 3 rings.

Thanks.

Sara

In our village, the bells ring to announce a death. One ring for a child, two for a woman and three for a man. They ring with a pause between each set for about 10-15 mins.
I guess it's the same with you.

Scunnered wrote:

In our village, the bells ring to announce a death. One ring for a child, two for a woman and three for a man. They ring with a pause between each set for about 10-15 mins.
I guess it's the same with you.

This is what I have been told by a couple of people. But when those who have been here five or six years say different, (or don't know) it confuses me. How on earth can anyone living so long in a country not know (or care) something so basic? And rather important.

Scunnered wrote:

In our village, the bells ring to announce a death.

Same in Kotel. Strange, even to this day, the coffin is taken to the cemetery on a horse and cart.

Bet it's an open coffin, too!

They announce a death in my village too. The horse and cart is used often, but so is a tractor when one is available. The 'open coffin' concept takes some getting used to..I've attended 10 or so funerals in the village and the procedure never changes. Just before Easter, my wife and I went to three on the same day and someone had got the timings wrong, so there ended up being a queue at the cemetery gate, because there was only one priest.

They announce a death in my village too. The horse and cart is used often, but so is a tractor when one is available. The 'open coffin' concept takes some getting used to..I've attended 10 or so funerals in the village and the procedure never changes. Just before Easter, my wife and I went to three on the same day and someone had got the timings wrong, so there ended up being a queue at the cemetery gate, because there was only one priest.

Many Brits live in Bulgaria for a long time but know little about life here. The answers above are all quite correct. My Hero and I have attended a few and been to the wake afterwards where traditional food is often served or sometimes just whatever can be afforded. If you cannot attend often a plate of food is brought to the house. Various methods of transport are used in our village according to wealth and I have once been asked into a house to see the open coffin and put flowers on it. My Hero has even helped the gravedigger dig a grave.

That's exactly how it works here..people pay what they can afford. No fancy casket, no shiny hearse..just those who loved you saying farewell and those who knew you attending to pay their respects. Just the way it should be.

We only have 200 inhabtants in our village and some weeks the church bell is being rung like a fire engine. Goodness knows how many are still breathing here now.

:: ::

Hi Itchyfeet. Our village normally only has about 200 souls and many of the old people we knew when we first came here have departed. However, in the summer the numbers swell as families return from work in the city and children are on holiday from school so the village seems to be growing at the same time. You saw at the Rockfest how many folk now know Mindya is on the map! Its sad that we no longer have a school and thats one of the reasons many families relocate in term time to apartments in town. Hopefully in the distant future we may get a school back but its doubtful. The Mayor of Veliko Turnovo has said he will get an EU grant to restore the school into a Community Hall because we only have a small one which apparently doesn't belong to Mindya Community. Whilst that is good news it throws up a curious anomaly about why Community buildings are left to rot. Its apparently something to do with the fall of Communism when they looked after these buildings but I can't positively comment on that. So much village hearsay. Sorry to go a bit off topic.

oldun wrote:

Hi Itchyfeet. Our village normally only has about 200 souls and many of the old people we knew when we first came here have departed. However, in the summer the numbers swell as families return from work in the city and children are on holiday from school so the village seems to be growing at the same time. You saw at the Rockfest how many folk now know Mindya is on the map! Its sad that we no longer have a school and thats one of the reasons many families relocate in term time to apartments in town. Hopefully in the distant future we may get a school back but its doubtful. The Mayor of Veliko Turnovo has said he will get an EU grant to restore the school into a Community Hall because we only have a small one which apparently doesn't belong to Mindya Community. Whilst that is good news it throws up a curious anomaly about why Community buildings are left to rot. Its apparently something to do with the fall of Communism when they looked after these buildings but I can't positively comment on that. So much village hearsay. Sorry to go a bit off topic.

Hi oldun - Your village sounds very much ours. The children and grandchildren turn up at weekends to stay with parents and grandparents and it would seem that the family's are very much intact in BG, not so in the UK of course! There wouldn't be half the buildings left standing if they had to pay full Council Tax at UK rates, the bulldozer would be working none stop to flatten them all. Glad that Mindya is back on the map, it is a nice village and the Rochfest was absolutely brilliant.

We heard the bells this morning in our village . Twice each time to mourn the departure of a nice lady called Vasilenka who passed away yesterday after suffering a stroke. She was the first person in the village to greet us when we first arrived. Every morning she would pass by our house with her two dogs and her cow called Kalinka. And every morning she would tap on the kitchen window for a chat and a cool drink. We didn't really understand each other but we knew she was a nice person. Her funeral is today and tradition says we take an even number of flowers as a mark of our respect. We will miss her.

Please ignore happy birthday symbol , didn't see that .

BGBound wrote:

Please ignore happy birthday symbol , didn't see that .

Fixed.

Sorry to hear the bad news BGBound.