Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Pictures of roma living in my mother's village Vetren dol near town of Pazardjik – Bulgaria Author Valentin Hristov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria	Todorov Den - Horse Easter. Festival marking the traditional holiday of Todorov den, also known as Horse Easter in the two biggest gipsy neighbourhoods of Sofia Fakuteta and Filipovci - 15,16 March 2008. The Orthodox tradition features horse and cart races to honour the role of horses in Bulgaria's history. (2008) Author Nikola Mihov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Milka Kozlenarka (Achtopol, 2000) Author Věra Okénková, Brno

A story to the photo Milka Kozlenarka

It was July, 2000, and I and my husband went on holiday to Bulgarian Achtopol. Unfortunately, I got solar eczema so we had to spend most of our time in the shade. One afternoon we were walking in the woods, where we went to hide me from the sunrays so pestilent for my skin, when suddenly we heard a terrible stamping, dogs´ barking and shouting. I was quite frightened because I didn’t like the idea of being attacked by a group of bandits. When the noise got stronger and stronger, I started thinking which tree I would be able to climb. None of them seemed suitable. Then, a huge herd of sheep and goats was running by. It was incredibly numerous. While making a great noise two women were shepherding the herd. That surprised me a lot as I thought it had to be really hard work to handle such a mass.

When the initial shock passed away and I decided to take a photo of the herd, the shepherdess was just running by so I smiled at her and asked if she didn’t mind. She agreed but gestured at me by hand to wait. She lay down her linen bag and began to brush and pin her hair. Before she finished making up, the herd had gone. I was a little disappointed but the shepherdess understood I wanted to take a picture of her not the herd and I didn’t want to spoil it for her. After she also did her daughter’s hair and the photographing could begin. The daughter was a little bit shy but her Mum was extremely friendly and introduced herself as Milka. I admired the huge mass of kettle which had just run by; Milka smiled proudly and said she took care of the whole village’s kettle. That was an honorable responsibility! When we were saying good-bye, Milka invited us to her place saying that if we just say Milka Kozlenarka (translated: the goat shepherdess), everyone will know where she lives.

We weren’t going to go and see her, yet I met her one more time. We went for a swim in the evening, my husband went to the hotel room and I went to do some shopping for supper. When I was on my way back from the shop, I came across tiny Milka. But she was not smiley this time, quite the opposite, she was tearful and unhappy. I asked what had happened. She said she had lost a lamb. I felt really sorry for her and wanted to help her somehow, not knowing how. So I pressed the bag with the shopping into her hand – she might eat the sorrow away. At least, it always worked well with me. Milka didn’t want anything; anyway she accepted the bag in the end. I couldn’t help myself thinking of her and told my husband that I wished to go to see her and, may be, offer her some money. He agreed so I asked the landlady about Milka. However, she had no idea who Milka Kozlenarka was. Unluckily, I didn’t meet Milka anymore but I will never forget her. Whenever I recall her, I wish her to be fine and never to lose any other head of her herd.

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