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Bulgarian Canadians (, ''kanadski balgari'') are Canadian citizens or residents from
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
or people of Bulgarian descent. According to the 2021 Census there were 33,085 Canadians who claimed Bulgarian ancestry, an increase compared to the 27,260 of the 2006 Census.


History


Origin and numbers

Mass Bulgarian emigration to Canada began in the late 1890s and the early 20th century. Bulgarians primarily settled in Canada's industrial cities, mostly
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, which was a major centre of Bulgarian migration to
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. Between 1900 and 1944, 19,955 people from Bulgaria settled in Canada; however, this number excludes the mass Bulgarian migration from Ottoman and later Serbian and Greek-ruled Macedonia,
Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...
, southern
Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
, the Western Outlands and
Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
, which was indeed the bulk of Bulgarian emigration to Canada. The largest wave of migration from the
Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...
to Canada was in 1912, when 6,388 people arrived in that country. Other significant waves were those of 1914, consisting of 4,512 people, and 1907–09, which numbered 2,529. The Canadian Census of 1921 recorded 1,765 people who identified as Bulgarians; of those, 1,378 lived in
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. In 1931, self-identified Bulgarians were 3,160 (2,415 in Ontario), while in 1941 they numbered 3,260 (2,553 in Ontario). Other estimates, however, list 10,000 Bulgarians in Canada by 1913, of which 4,000 in Toronto alone, and 20,000 Bulgarians in Canada by 1939. The Bulgarian colony in Toronto mostly consisted of emigrants from Macedonia and the Kostur (
Kastoria Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...
) region in particular. According to Bulgarian diplomatic and ecclesiastical records of 1936, Bulgarians in Toronto alone numbered 3,500, while other estimates go up to 5,000.Колев, pp. 297–299. The Bulgarian community in Canada is deeply linked to the
Macedonian Canadians Macedonian Canadians () are Canadian citizens of ethnic Macedonian descent, who reside in Canada. According to the 2021 census there were 39,440 Canadians who claimed full or partial Macedonian ancestry. History Ethnicity and origins In t ...
. Until
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, most people who today identify as Macedonian Canadians claimed a Bulgarian ethnic identity and were recorded as part of the Bulgarian ethnic group. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Bulgarian community in Canada spread in larger numbers to the capital
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
and
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
.


Organizations, religion and education

The first organization of Bulgarians in Canada, the Zhelevo Bulgarian Brotherhood or Zhelevo Benevolence Brotherhood was established in 1907 in Toronto by emigrants from Zhelevo ( Antartiko) in
Aegean Macedonia Aegean Macedonia ('';'' ) is a term describing the region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia in Northern Greece. It is currently mainly used in the North Macedonia, Republic of North Macedonia, including in the Irredentism, irredentist context of a ...
. Other Bulgarian organizations were soon established by emigrants from Zagorichani (Vassiliada), Oshtima (Trigono), Smardesh (
Krystallopigi Krystallopigi () or Kroustallopigi (Κρουσταλλοπηγή), before 1926: Smardesi (Σμαρδέσι) is a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, community in Florina (regional unit), Florina regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. ...
), Gabresh (Gavros), Banitsa (
Vevi Vevi (, before 1926: Μπάνιτσα – ''Banitsa''; Macedonian Language, Macedonian and , ''Banica'' or ''Banitsa'') is a village located in the municipal unit of Meliti (municipal unit), Meliti in Florina (regional unit), Florina regional uni ...
), Buf (Akritas) and Tarsie (Trivuno), all villages in Aegean Macedonia. Bulgarian emigrants from Murgash near Tsaribrod and Bansko also established emigrant organizations. Most such communities were founded in Toronto, though some were based in other Ontario towns like Kitchener, Windsor and Courtland. The foundations of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Canada were laid down in 1908 with the first Bulgarian ecclesiastical mission in North America. The priests Hristo Karabashev and hieromonk Theophylactus, who first visited the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, arrived in Toronto in 1910 and established what is today the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Macedono-Bulgarian Orthodox Parish, which until 1945 remained the only such community in Canada. In 7 March 1957 the Bulgarian Canadian Society was found. A Bulgarian school, funded by the Bulgarian Orthodox community, was founded in Toronto as early as 1914: this was also the first Bulgarian school in the Americas. In 1924, this school had 70 pupils and two teachers. By 1928, the number of pupils was 100. Bulgarian adult schools were established by two separate organizations in 1917 and 1920, also in Toronto. Another school for children was founded in Toronto in 1934; Bulgarian schools were also established in Kitchener and Windsor in 1932 and 1936 respectively.


Language

Some Bulgarian Canadians speak Bulgarian, especially the more recent immigrants, while others might not speak the language at all, or speak Bulgarian mixed with English to a lesser or greater extent. Some Bulgarian Canadians understand Bulgarian even though they might not be able to speak the language. There are cases where older generations of Bulgarians or descendants of Bulgarian immigrants from the early part of the 20th century are fluent in the Bulgarian language as well.


Notable Bulgarian Canadians

* Ken Boshcoff * Nansy Damianova *
Nina Dobrev Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva (; born January 9, 1989), known professionally as Nina Dobrev ( ), is a Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in The CW's supernatural drama series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (20 ...
* Ivan Dochev * Alexandra Fol * Marian Grudeff * Ignat Kaneff * Ted Kotcheff * Ivan Kristoff * Alice Panikian * Kroum Pindoff * Mirela Rahneva * Ralitsa Tcholakova * Theodore Ushev


See also

*
European Canadians European Canadians are Canadians who can trace their Ancestor, ancestry to the continent of Europe. They form the largest Panethnicity, panethnic group within Canada. In the 2021 Canadian census, 19,062,115 people or 52.5% of the population sel ...
* Bulgarian Americans *
Immigration to Canada According to the 2021 Canadian census, immigrants in Canada number 8.3 million persons and make up approximately 23 percent of Canada's total population. This represents the eighth-largest Immigration, immigrant population in the world, whi ...
*
Ethnic groups in Canada According to the 2021 Canadian census, over 450 "ethnic or cultural origins" were self-reported by Canadians. The country's ten largest self-reported specific ethnic or cultural origins in 2021 were Canadian (accounting for 15.6 percent of t ...
* Bulgaria–Canada relations * Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Ottawa * Bulgarian diaspora * Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada and Australia


References


Footnotes


Sources

* * * Peykovska, P. (2022)
The First Generations of Bulgarians in Canada
(in Bg). - In: Migration and Social Development, Vol. 2, Sofia: BAS IHS, pp. 15-64.


External links


Bulgarite v Canada

Bulway Bulgarian Canadians

BG Toronto

BG Canada

National Capital Region Bulgarian Community Ottawa – Gatineau, Canada

Bulgarian–Canadian Society of British Columbia, Vancouver

''Macedonian Tribune'', Bulgarian newspaper issued out of Toronto



Bulgarian honorary consulate in Montreal

Bulgarian consulate in Toronto

Canadian Foreign Affairs and International Trade Office about the relations with Bulgaria
{{Portal bar, Bulgaria, Canada European diaspora in Canada