Dark Bulgarian - Swarthy Vlach of medieval Serbia

[Moje ime]

"Crni Bugarin/Dark(black) Bulgarian" is phrase from Serbian epic poetry song "Ženidba Dušanova".

https://www.bastabalkana.com/2014/11...a-epska-pesma/

It describes a man of lower status, shepherd from mountain, with specific clothing called bugar-kabanica and Bugarska šubara.

Quote:

...

a svrh svega bugar–kabanicu,
i na glavu bugarsku šubaru:
načini se crni Bugarine,
ni braća ga poznati ne mogu;

...

Mehandžija njemu odgovara:
„Id’ odatle, crni Bugarine!
Da s’ donio bugarsku kopanju,
ako bih ti i usuo vina;
za te nisu čaše pozlaćene!“

...


In this song, a man of aristocrat origin masked himself to be "dark Bulgarian" on purpose.
What I find interesting is meaning of this phrase.

Was dark Bulgarian actually a synonym for a swarthy Vlach?

And why phrase "(dark) Bulgarian" had such a bad reputation and represented a lower class man in medieval Serbia?

[Dick]

Crni as in cursed probably because he was low status. Nobles were full of themselves. Garavi would mean dark

[Pribislav]

In Serbian colective consciousness realy exist phrase "crni Bugarin" ("black Bulgarian").

[Moje ime]

Crni as in cursed probably because he was low status. Nobles were full of themselves. Garavi would mean dark

Yes but not just crni/dark but Bulgarian as someone of low status.

[War Chef]

Slavic culture generally idealizes light pigmentation, see names like: Svetozar, Svetlana.
High status? I don't know, there is a lot of blond-mania though. People get excited @ blond people for some reason.
Blondism spread in Europe in a very short time, went from nothing to dominant in less than 1,000 years so clearly there was a strong selection for it.

Imagine some primitive people living a couple thousand years ago and they saw such hair, they would think gold!
Gold = valuable
Value = status

[Freeroostah]

[pelikarski]

We are guilty of your swarthiness today.

[Pribislav]

Also there is "Bugarštica" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugarštica

In my region when somebody died women who are close to dead person (sisters, wifes, closer cousins) ritually cried (it's like histerically crying), and that ritual is "Bugarštica" or "Bugarenje" as was called in my region. Few times at funerals of some my cousin and countrymen I was present when women are "Bugarile." It's very disturbing and sad.

[MiloshN]

“Сине, ако се зарати, а ти не знаш на коју ћеш страну, удри по Бугарима, нећеш погрешити”

[War Chef]

Also, might be from past but-hurt. Remember Bulgarian empire controlled Serbia for some time. Maybe Serbs are still salty and bitter about this.