Празникът като праксис на ценностите: културни практики и социална кохезия в малките населени места
The Festival as a Praxis of Values: Cultural Practices and Social Cohesion in Small Settlements

Summary/Abstract: The present text examines local festivals as a form of cultural praxis through which values are embodied, transmitted, and renewed in small settlements in Bulgaria. The festival is interpreted not merely as an event, but as a dynamic cultural practice through which local communities create and experience shared meanings related to identity, solidarity, and resilience. The theoretical framework is based on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural habitus (Bourdieu 1977), Halbwachs’ theory of collective memory (Halbwachs 1992), and contemporary researchers of festivity as a form of poiesis and social mobilization. The festival is viewed as a space of interaction between local government representatives and the spontaneous energy of the community, where traditional and contemporary values intertwine. The empirical analysis draws on data from a nationally representative survey conducted by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences under the project “Local Festivals: A Resource of Local Communities for Coping with Crises”, funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund. The data show that festivals encourage interethnic communication, help overcome loneliness, strengthen local identity, and restore social rhythm after crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, they function as a mechanism for preserving cultural memory and intergenerational transmission of values.

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