 |
| Getting ready for the donkey races in Gurkovo |
I travelled to Dragodonovo on Friday to
celebrate Neysa’s birthday with her village. We chatted with friends in the village center and she cherpi-ed
drinks and snacks for everyone. She showed me the building where she and
colleagues are working on a PCPP project to create a rec/fitness center for the
community. It looks fantastic. Later in the evening we went na gosti with
friends for her birthday dinner, practicing our xoro dancing skills in the
garden until late.
 |
| Gurkovo Biorali |
The next day, we departed for the Gurkovo Donkey
Races. Way more than just donkey races, the annual Biorali included donkey soccer,
donkey tug of war, and theme decorated donkey carts. The Peace Corps volunteer
in Gurkovo arranged volunteer accommodations and decorated a Peace Corps donkey
cart. The Peace Corps donkey, Pencho, didn’t participate in most of the events
(he’s 18 years old-a very old donkey). He did, however, receive lots of cheers
during his introduction and loop around the racetrack.
 |
| Donkey Tug-of-War |
Twenty-four donkeys participated in the events. Awards were given for
best decoration, rapid harness/un-harness, cart race, strength (tug-of-war),
and naked riding (without a harness). The winner, champion of the biorali for
the 6th time, took home 500 BGN cash, a baby cow, bio-fuel (alfalfa, hay, etc.), and wooden boards. Several thousand spectators attended and there was a large vendor area with cotton candy, BBQ, and other bazaar-type items. Gurkovo began the Biorali in 1971 and is also home to a donkey museum.
 |
| Donkey Futbol |
No comments:
Post a Comment