The jubilee edition of the celebration in the Rhodope village began on the morning of February 28 with a festive liturgy at the church "St. St. Constantine and Helena"

and continued on the village square, where the official opening took place.

The honorary guest of the event was H. E. Ms. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Republic of Bulgaria. Among the official guests were Ms. Dora Yankova, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works; Ms. Mariana Tsekova, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Smolyan; Mr. Adrian Petrov, Deputy Regional Governor; municipal councilors, mayors of nearby settlements, and representatives of academia, the tourism sector, and the media.

The event began with a welcoming speech by the Mayor of Momchilovtsi, Ms. Siyka Surkova, who emphasized: "The most wonderful thing is that every year we unite tradition, way of life, customs, and our attitude toward the celebration, and most importantly, that we are together." She expressed special thanks to H. E. Ms. Zakia El Midaoui for attending the celebration in Momchilovtsi, noting that this was already her third time at the village festival.

Her Excellency addressed the organizers and everyone who contributed to the event with warm words: "I thank Mayor Siyka Surkova for the invitation to be the honorary guest at the 30th anniversary of Todorovden in Momchilovtsi. It is an honor for me to be here for the third time at this celebration in such a beautiful village, as well as to be a member of the jury for selecting the most beautiful horse. I say this both as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco and as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in this beautiful country – Bulgaria. I wish the residents and guests of Momchilovtsi, as well as everyone celebrating their name day today, good health, success, happiness, and prosperity." She also encouraged them to continue preserving their beautiful tradition.

Later, the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ms. Dora Yankova, also addressed the attendees. She recalled: "Thirty years ago, together with Father Kanev and Todor Popsavov, we had a dream to restore this tradition, to bring people together, and to pass it on to the children of Momchilovtsi. Today we are very happy that the tradition has been preserved."

Mr. Todor Popsavov also shared memories from those days and presented the 30 horses participating in the competition, along with three donkeys. The Deputy Regional Governor of Smolyan, Mr. Adrian Petrov, announced the winner – the most beautiful horse of the races – and together with H. E. Ms. Zakia El Midaoui presented the award.

After the horse competitions, the celebration continued with a contest for the most beautiful traditional costume. For years, the dress code for the event has encouraged attendees to wear national costumes.

The event concluded with many gifts and a musical program.

Photos: Momchilovtsi Mayor’s Office

Bottom /from left to right/: Moments from the celebration; the Mayor of the village of Momchilovtsi, Mrs. Siyka Surkova, welcomes the guests; Mrs. Ekaterina Pavlova, Editor-in-Chief of Diplomatic Spectrum, the Deputy Regional Governor of Smolyan, Mr. Adrian Petrov, the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Smolyan, Mrs. Mariana Tsekova, the event host, the village mayor, and guests.