According to the goals of the project, a study and systematization of the multicultural life of the region reflected in the holidays, gastronomy and the general history of three settlements on the left bank of the Kanina River, namely the villages of Leshten, Gorno Dryanovo and Kovachevitsa, is carried out, includes:
- study of the common history of the three settlements and the influence of the multicultural environment on it;
- research and systematization of holidays, customs and cuisine related to them;
The implementation of the activity was carried out in the following stages:
Stage 1: Preparation for carrying out the survey - preparation of a list of responsible institutions, review and analysis of information sources, documents, etc., creation of a questionnaire for interviews of residents (field information collection), according to the methodology proposed by the contractor.
Stage 2: Collection, research and systematization of information about the general history of the three settlements, the holidays, customs and cuisine related to them
Stage 3: Analysis and assessment of the mutual influence of individual communities in terms of culture, holidays, customs and cuisine related to them, including the degree of preservation, recognition and accessibility. Implementation will be outsourced.
Implementation of the survey
For the purposes of the study, lists of responsible institutions were drawn up both in the three settlements and in the Municipality.
The following sources of information were reviewed and analyzed:
- The dumb church bells, Georgi Poptomov, 2012
- Blacksmith through the past and heritage, N. Bakalov, T. Dobrev, 1994
- Leshten, Boris Hristov, 2010
- Memories of Leshten, G. Kemerov, 2010
- Through the past of Nevrokopsko, A. Daskalov, 1931
- The situation in Macedonia, A. Daskalov, 1887
- Geographical, ethnographic and historical notes, Kovachovitsa village, Nevrokopsko, Stoyan Zlatarev, 1911.
- The pomak. Christianity and Islam in the Western Rhodopes and the river Mesta from the 15th century to 1730, E. Radushev, 2008
- The Rhodopes in the history of ancient Thrace, Y. Iliev, 2012
- Through the past of the village of Radilovo, I. Vachkov, 1977
BULGARIAN FOLK MYTHOLOGY, I. Georgieva, 1993
- Other data, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
A questionnaire was created for the needs of the implementation of the field studies, covering questions related to people's knowledge of the settlements they live in.
A field survey was conducted and interviews were conducted with local residents from the three villages - object of the study. History - as they know it, passed down from mouth to mouth, life, customs, cuisine, superstitions, legends and traditions, holidays and customs related to them - are explored.