Lights and "Light" on Veliko Tarnovo and Freemasonry in Bulgaria
By Peter Paul Fuchs, 32
It is striking that sometimes an ancient relic from the past allows some of the most current insight on today’s events. In fact the ancient castle in the old capital of Bulgaria provided the most evocative metaphor for my entire recent trip to Bulgaria, for a number of Masonic public events. I was part of a group of Brother Masons, some having held important positions in the Craft, who were privileged to enjoy a number of public celebrations on a tour of important sites for Freemasonry in Bulgaria. When we arrived in the ancient capital, we enjoyed the Light Show of Veliko Tarnovo, which provides dramatic lights and sounds on the impressive old castle gracing the hillside there. Light shows per se would hardly seem to be the place for subtle effects, and thus it was that the literal bright highlights of the show became for me a sort of, admittedly, very straightforward metaphor that could in turn highlight what was most evocative about Bulgarian Masonry. I cannot compare the Veliko Tarnovo light show to other famous ones in places I’ve been, for instance at the Pyramids of Giza, because somehow in my nearly half a century of life, I managed to miss seeing a light show as part of a visit. But I was happy and impressed to see this one, especially since it helped me to understand other things I experienced in the country.
One interesting fact is that this light show was around before others in the world which are more famous. In fact, I was surprised to learn that it was one of the last big projects in the last gasps of the communist state. Somehow the bright colors and feel-good music seem a quirky fit with the usual assumptions about communist era drabness. In fact, the bright colors seem more in line with the day-glo colors recently used by a Banksy-style provacateur who, as reported in the Sofia English-language newspaper The Echo given out at the Kempinski in Sofia, did a little creative art sabotage. A Soviet era sculpture in Sofia was painted in bright capitalist colors, and each of the figures made to resemble a comics super-hero. Like the irrepressibility this suggests, the strength of emotion and vigor that I experienced in Bulgarian Masonry suggests something more broadly. Namely, that even in the past, during the communist period, Bulgarians remained a vibrant people. Thus, this communist-era creation of lights on the ancient castle of Tarnovo suggests that Bulgarians are deeply in touch with their own history in a very profound way. In turn, this reflects in their Masonry.
For one of the surprises for me is the extent to which a spirit of national pride imbues the Masonic world there. I shouldn’t have been surprised because in the course of recently editing a book on Bulgarian Freemasonry, which will soon be published, I had learned that virtually all the Bulgarian Premiers since World War II have been members of the Craft. But it is more powerful to experience this sense of national pride up close from a large number of Brothers. It is not that such pride does not exist in American Masonry, for it surely does. Yet it in Bulgaria it takes on a “vibe“ of more deep identification with ancient history in Bulgarian Masonry, and this precisely is what is special. The ancient castle of Veliko Tarnovo, bathed in rich colors, could not have been a better metaphor for this vibrancy therefore.
Because of this strong sense of identification, Masonry in Bulgaria has an intensity which is very close at hand. There have been some internecine squabbles in Bulgarian Masonry in recent history, but it is clear that the powerful drive to unifying feeling bodes very well for their eventual resolution, And if the presence of Brother Masons from around the world for a visit is one more little push in the direction of healing, then that will certainly be a blessing of the Grand Architect.
Such a blessing would be richly deserved, from the perspective of the visitors, for we were shown the greatest courtesy and respect. It would have been very hard not to have a great time in such an atmosphere. The delicious food which we experienced at a number of Masonic banquets was quite amazing. A curious fact of Soviet era history is that Bulgaria was considered the vegetable- basket of the communist world, and it is easy now to understand why. In the city of Karjali we had a fabulous lunch at the restaurant owned by a Brother there, by the name of Detchko. A first course of eggplants in tomato sauce was heartbreakingly delicious. The gulf that separates the taste of those eggplants and what obtains by the same name in the U.S. is just incredible. For the same luncheon two whole lambs had been prepared, and the meat had a lightness and fragrance that was very delightful. The good food was all accompanied by strong folk entertainments and music, including from a Bulgarian bagpipe which looked like something straight out of a Pieter Brueghel painting. All accompanied as well by great Bulgarian wine, which is across the board excellent in the country no matter where you go. My partner Paul, who was on the trip with me, often commented that the wine was so good some entrepreneur in the U.S. in the might well make a mint by importing it!
It is somewhat amazing that they have not gotten around to importing more of their wine more effectively because Bulgarian seems very intent on focusing on its cultural riches. I saw no less than two whole television channels devoted exclusively to Bulgarian folk dance and music! One can only say that the famous show Riverdance has nothing on the vigorous sonic riveting of these folk music riffs of Bulgaria. Though that it is often hard for an outsider to tell the pieces apart, is no great surprise. National pride in music, art, or even history itself has its own inexorable laws, and subtlety is not one of them. Similarly, if there were moments in the public events when the swellings of national pride led to a number of observations of distant, fraught historical events which seemed more like rosy -scenarios, then one can also observe that such are often to be found in all countries, and therefore not terribly surprising. What was surprising, and also extremely inspirational for me, and others on the trip, was the almost aesthetic beauty of the Craft in Bulgaria. Very elegant new Lodges designed with the most refined contemporary sense of artistry spoke for of a very modern yet historically informed Craft with evocative details such as blond woods, and even a modernist -looking gong, used, one assumes, to call the Craft to Labor. And it is a significant fact that these Lodges were built by the Brothers themselves, showing in very loving and obvious devotion in the details and finishes everywhere. This was also very evident in the beautiful Lodge room we saw in the Masonic Temple located right next to the famous Mineral Baths resort we visited. But, more broadly on the whole trip, the most evocative of all this aesthetically was the very striking monument for founding pioneer of the Freemasonry in Bulgaria, Ivan Vedder, in Razgrad. It features as a huge creased triangle in which the noble head of Vedder seems to float, crowned by Masonic symbols. We were privileged to be present for the now-yearly celebration at the monument for this famous hero. The presence of the local mayor, and the town youth band, and assembled citizens, left a telling impression. Freemasonry in Bulgaria is a deep part of the national identity there in a very unvexed and natural manner. It is a wonderful cultural fact of their lives that the same Craft that supports tolerance and freedom, mixes so easily and effortlessly with their civic pride, and even religious pride. So, famous churchmen of the Orthodox clergy in Bulgaria’s history are celebrated on Lodge walls with portraits, in full Orthodox clerical dress! And icons to be found in the Orthodox Church, find an honored place on Lodge walls as well. Even in Lodges, as we saw, that have Muslims as members. It all speaks of a Freemasonry beautifully untroubled with religious-secular conundrums. Masonry in the rest of the world has, in this regard especially, something really to admire in Bulgaria in this very noble and mature aspect of development in the Craft.
I am sure I speak for all who were on this visit to express great gratitude for the very striking and enjoyable experience.
By Peter Paul Fuchs, 32
It is striking that sometimes an ancient relic from the past allows some of the most current insight on today’s events. In fact the ancient castle in the old capital of Bulgaria provided the most evocative metaphor for my entire recent trip to Bulgaria, for a number of Masonic public events. I was part of a group of Brother Masons, some having held important positions in the Craft, who were privileged to enjoy a number of public celebrations on a tour of important sites for Freemasonry in Bulgaria. When we arrived in the ancient capital, we enjoyed the Light Show of Veliko Tarnovo, which provides dramatic lights and sounds on the impressive old castle gracing the hillside there. Light shows per se would hardly seem to be the place for subtle effects, and thus it was that the literal bright highlights of the show became for me a sort of, admittedly, very straightforward metaphor that could in turn highlight what was most evocative about Bulgarian Masonry. I cannot compare the Veliko Tarnovo light show to other famous ones in places I’ve been, for instance at the Pyramids of Giza, because somehow in my nearly half a century of life, I managed to miss seeing a light show as part of a visit. But I was happy and impressed to see this one, especially since it helped me to understand other things I experienced in the country.
One interesting fact is that this light show was around before others in the world which are more famous. In fact, I was surprised to learn that it was one of the last big projects in the last gasps of the communist state. Somehow the bright colors and feel-good music seem a quirky fit with the usual assumptions about communist era drabness. In fact, the bright colors seem more in line with the day-glo colors recently used by a Banksy-style provacateur who, as reported in the Sofia English-language newspaper The Echo given out at the Kempinski in Sofia, did a little creative art sabotage. A Soviet era sculpture in Sofia was painted in bright capitalist colors, and each of the figures made to resemble a comics super-hero. Like the irrepressibility this suggests, the strength of emotion and vigor that I experienced in Bulgarian Masonry suggests something more broadly. Namely, that even in the past, during the communist period, Bulgarians remained a vibrant people. Thus, this communist-era creation of lights on the ancient castle of Tarnovo suggests that Bulgarians are deeply in touch with their own history in a very profound way. In turn, this reflects in their Masonry.
For one of the surprises for me is the extent to which a spirit of national pride imbues the Masonic world there. I shouldn’t have been surprised because in the course of recently editing a book on Bulgarian Freemasonry, which will soon be published, I had learned that virtually all the Bulgarian Premiers since World War II have been members of the Craft. But it is more powerful to experience this sense of national pride up close from a large number of Brothers. It is not that such pride does not exist in American Masonry, for it surely does. Yet it in Bulgaria it takes on a “vibe“ of more deep identification with ancient history in Bulgarian Masonry, and this precisely is what is special. The ancient castle of Veliko Tarnovo, bathed in rich colors, could not have been a better metaphor for this vibrancy therefore.
Because of this strong sense of identification, Masonry in Bulgaria has an intensity which is very close at hand. There have been some internecine squabbles in Bulgarian Masonry in recent history, but it is clear that the powerful drive to unifying feeling bodes very well for their eventual resolution, And if the presence of Brother Masons from around the world for a visit is one more little push in the direction of healing, then that will certainly be a blessing of the Grand Architect.
Such a blessing would be richly deserved, from the perspective of the visitors, for we were shown the greatest courtesy and respect. It would have been very hard not to have a great time in such an atmosphere. The delicious food which we experienced at a number of Masonic banquets was quite amazing. A curious fact of Soviet era history is that Bulgaria was considered the vegetable- basket of the communist world, and it is easy now to understand why. In the city of Karjali we had a fabulous lunch at the restaurant owned by a Brother there, by the name of Detchko. A first course of eggplants in tomato sauce was heartbreakingly delicious. The gulf that separates the taste of those eggplants and what obtains by the same name in the U.S. is just incredible. For the same luncheon two whole lambs had been prepared, and the meat had a lightness and fragrance that was very delightful. The good food was all accompanied by strong folk entertainments and music, including from a Bulgarian bagpipe which looked like something straight out of a Pieter Brueghel painting. All accompanied as well by great Bulgarian wine, which is across the board excellent in the country no matter where you go. My partner Paul, who was on the trip with me, often commented that the wine was so good some entrepreneur in the U.S. in the might well make a mint by importing it!
It is somewhat amazing that they have not gotten around to importing more of their wine more effectively because Bulgarian seems very intent on focusing on its cultural riches. I saw no less than two whole television channels devoted exclusively to Bulgarian folk dance and music! One can only say that the famous show Riverdance has nothing on the vigorous sonic riveting of these folk music riffs of Bulgaria. Though that it is often hard for an outsider to tell the pieces apart, is no great surprise. National pride in music, art, or even history itself has its own inexorable laws, and subtlety is not one of them. Similarly, if there were moments in the public events when the swellings of national pride led to a number of observations of distant, fraught historical events which seemed more like rosy -scenarios, then one can also observe that such are often to be found in all countries, and therefore not terribly surprising. What was surprising, and also extremely inspirational for me, and others on the trip, was the almost aesthetic beauty of the Craft in Bulgaria. Very elegant new Lodges designed with the most refined contemporary sense of artistry spoke for of a very modern yet historically informed Craft with evocative details such as blond woods, and even a modernist -looking gong, used, one assumes, to call the Craft to Labor. And it is a significant fact that these Lodges were built by the Brothers themselves, showing in very loving and obvious devotion in the details and finishes everywhere. This was also very evident in the beautiful Lodge room we saw in the Masonic Temple located right next to the famous Mineral Baths resort we visited. But, more broadly on the whole trip, the most evocative of all this aesthetically was the very striking monument for founding pioneer of the Freemasonry in Bulgaria, Ivan Vedder, in Razgrad. It features as a huge creased triangle in which the noble head of Vedder seems to float, crowned by Masonic symbols. We were privileged to be present for the now-yearly celebration at the monument for this famous hero. The presence of the local mayor, and the town youth band, and assembled citizens, left a telling impression. Freemasonry in Bulgaria is a deep part of the national identity there in a very unvexed and natural manner. It is a wonderful cultural fact of their lives that the same Craft that supports tolerance and freedom, mixes so easily and effortlessly with their civic pride, and even religious pride. So, famous churchmen of the Orthodox clergy in Bulgaria’s history are celebrated on Lodge walls with portraits, in full Orthodox clerical dress! And icons to be found in the Orthodox Church, find an honored place on Lodge walls as well. Even in Lodges, as we saw, that have Muslims as members. It all speaks of a Freemasonry beautifully untroubled with religious-secular conundrums. Masonry in the rest of the world has, in this regard especially, something really to admire in Bulgaria in this very noble and mature aspect of development in the Craft.
I am sure I speak for all who were on this visit to express great gratitude for the very striking and enjoyable experience.
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