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MIHAELA AROYO

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People travel back from work in Kubey village, Ukraine, on April 8, 2023.

Woman get ready for folklore dance performance during annual meeting of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Stoyanovka, Moldova, on July 27, 2019.

People attend liturgy on Epiphany at St. George church in Taraclia, Moldova, on January 19, 2021. The city of Taraclia was founded by Bulgarian migrants more than 200 years ago.

General view of the outskirts of the city of Taraclia, Moldova, on January 13, 2021.

Ivan Delik poses for a portrait in an abandoned house in Gyulmyan village, Ukraine, on November 13, 2022. Due to lack of jobs, most people of active age leave the villages in Bessarabia to go to bigger cities or abroad, where they are culturaly assimilated very quickly.

View of the Izmail city council, Ukraine, on August 27, 2021. Izmail is located on the Danube river and it is a local trade, transport and navy center.

General view of the farm of The Nativity of the Virgin Monastery, near Taraclia, Moldova, on June 14, 2022.

The parish of the village of Golitsa, Ukraine, is fed outside of St. Dimiter church, following a liturgy on the feast day of the patron saint of the church, on November 8, 2022.

Kids play ping pong in the House of culture in Hasan Batar, Ukraine, on November 6, 2020. The houses of culture were built during the Soviet Union. However, only after its collapse, regular classes related to local communties culture began to be held here.

An icon of Saint Mary, mother of Jesus in St. Dimiter church in the village of Golitsa, Ukraine, on November 8, 2022.

Alexander Polibza prepares Veronika to photograph her in a traditional wedding costume, in Kubey village, Ukraine, on October 26, 2023. Alexander is an enthusiastic ethnographer who collects old costumes and items and records songs and tales from all over Bessarabia.

Young girls prepare to perform the Bulgarian custom “Lazaruvane” in the village of Kubey, Ukraine, on April 8, 2023. This tradition has been lost in the village of Kubey, but now a group of people is working to revive it. “Lazaruvane” is a procession performed by young girls on the Saturday of the week before Easter. Groups of young girls go around the village’s houses, singing songs about health and fertility, and the families they visit give them presents.

A folklore ensemble rehearses Bulgarian folk dances in the village of Chiishiya, Ukraine, on November 1, 2020.

Ana Kovac is preparing for lunch at her house in Taraclia, Moldova, on May 6th, 2024. In the kitchen, the family keeps baby ducklings warm and bright until they are old enough to be taken out into the yard.

A composition of icons and Christmas lights arranged by Nina Kovac at her house in Taraclia, Moldova, on January 6th, 2024. Christmas Eve in Bessarabia is usually celebrated according to the Julian calendar, which is the religious calendar for many Eastern Orthodox churches.

Kids watch a young man riding a Soviet motorcycle for fun at the village stadium in Hasan Batar, Ukraine, on November 6, 2020.

Women sell candles on the night before Easter in the church of St. George in Taraclia, Moldova, on May 4th, 2024. The city of Taraclia was founded by Bulgarian migrants in 1813.

A flock of birds flies over the outskirts of “The Nativity of Mary” women monastery, Ukraine, on November 16, 2022.

View of the old cemetery in Zadunaevka village, Ukraine, on November 13, 2020. Мany of the graves have a year of death from the 19th century, suggesting that some of the first Bulgarian migrants were buried here.

View of the beach on Danube river in Izmail, Ukraine, on July 26, 2022. “Hedgehogs” have been situated on the beach since the beggining of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

Children play around a World War II monument in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia autonomous region, in Moldova, on January 3rd, 2024.

Men sit at a cafe in the city center of Taraclia, in Moldova, on May 6th, 2024. May 6th is celebrated as Saint George’s day and it is also Taraclia’s official city holiday.

Artist Yona Tukuser visits her dog, which she left to live with a neighbour while she was away from her village, Glavan, Ukraine, on October 29th, 2023. Yona paints large-scale paintings dedicated to the Soviet famine of 1946-1947, which greatly affected Bessarabia.

View of a house in Golitsa village, Ukraine, on November 8th, 2022. Golitsa takes its name from the village of the same name in Bulgaria, where the migrants who founded the village came from.

A man dressed partly as Ded Moroz, partly in traditional costume, walks around a residential area in Taraclia, Moldova, on December 31st, 2023. On New Year’s Eve he, together with a friend, went around the houses of Taraclia to sing songs with the children and give them gifts.

2019 – ongoing

Tens of thousands of Bulgarians migrated from the Bulgarian territories to Bessarabia after the Russo-Turkish wars of 1806–1812 and 1828–1829 to escape Ottoman raids. Another reason for this resettlement was a policy of the Russian Empire to settle Bessarabia with a population that would improve the border region of the empire. The Bessarabian Bulgarians have since established roots in the region and absorbed elements of other cultures. But to this day, they have preserved their native language and traditions.

The turmoil of historical events turned Bessarabia into a bargaining chip for peace treaties following all the major European wars in the 19th and 20th centuries. In some families, three subsequent generations were born in the very same house, but in three different countries. After World War II, the entire region fell under Soviet rule. The collapse of the Soviet Union created a new border and divided Bessarabia between Moldova and Ukraine.

Belonging to a particular ethnicity, family and home became a shelter from the turbulent passage of historical events.

Today, between 250,000 and 300,000 people identify as Bulgarians in Moldova and Ukraine, but the population rapidly decreases due to economic challenges and the war in Ukraine. The post-Soviet shock is still being felt in this economically neglected region, and people are again migrating in search of a livelihood in larger cities or abroad. Those who remain take pride in their ability to preserve the traditions of their ancestors and feel a special connection to their homeland.

Mihaela Aroyo

(b. 1993 in Varna, Bulgaria) is a freelance documentary photographer. In her work she explores themes such as cultural identity, history, folklore, environment and personal stories. Aroyo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Photography from New Bulgarian University and is currently enrolled in a Master’s program in History. She is a scholarship recipient for the VII Masterclass in Arles 2022/2023. Has her work published in The New Yorker, National Geographic and Die Zeit.

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