The hearts of Bulgarians beat to the rhythm of festivals and respect for still living customs.
National Day of Bulgaria
Bulgarian history is long, rich and has definitely left its mark on world history.
Every year on March 3, Bulgaria celebrates the liberation from the Ottoman yoke in 1878.
It is the most important date in Bulgarian History.
On March 3, Bulgaria celebrates its national liberation from nearly 500 years of Ottoman rule.
On this date in 1878, the Peace Treaty of San Stefano (a small town near Istanbul) was signed, which ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and marked the re-establishment of Bulgaria as a as a sovereign state.
March 3 was honored for the first time in 1880, on the occasion of the enthronement of Russian Emperor Alexander II. Since 1888, it has become Bulgaria's Liberation Day, but it was only declared a national holiday in 1978.
With a parliamentary decree in 1990, March 3 was included in the list of public holidays in Bulgaria.
As part of the tradition, every year, solemn ceremonies as well as cultural performances and street parades are held throughout the country, especially in towns and villages, where key battles took place during the Russo- Turkish. During the ceremonies, a list of names is read out in memory of those who gave their lives in the struggle for independence, followed by fireworks.
The government organizes the ceremonial hoisting of the Bulgarian flag at monuments across the country and in particular at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in Sofia. Wreaths and flowers are placed on the monuments which symbolize liberation.
The most heroic acts of bravery in the country's history are commemorated at the Shipka Monastery and the Shipka Monument.
The war heroes who fought there are honored every year and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
History
The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, allied with Serbia, Montenegro and Romania as well as the Bulgarian volunteer movement.
It was the first conflict with pan-Slavism as a backdrop, assigning Russia the duty to liberate the Slavic peoples still under Turkish domination and to form a pan-Slavic confederation.
The war was won by Russia and ended with the Treaty of San Stefano, later abrogated and replaced by the Treaty of Berlin.
The war was called "liberation": it brought complete independence to Serbia, Romania and Montenegro, while part of Bulgaria was declared a vassal principality.
The other part remained within the borders of the Empire as the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia.
In the fall of 1885, Eastern Rumelia united with the Principality of Bulgaria.
Shipka Monastery
Also to honor the memory of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers who died during the war of 1877-1878, a church was built in 1902 in the village of Shipka near the town of Kazanlak located about 230 km from the capital, Sofia : the Church of the Nativity. Its architecture is magnificent and imposing with its domes and golden crosses, its facades covered with colorful ceramics, and its 53-meter high bell tower, which houses 17 bells (the largest of which weighs no less than 11 tons!).
It is included on the list of monuments of national importance. The exterior galleries house 34 marble plaques inscribed with texts commemorating the names of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers who died in the deadliest battle in the history of this war.
The Shipka Freedom Monument
It is another important national symbol.
It is located on the Shipka peak, which is part of the Stara Planina mountain range, also called the Balkan range.
Its silhouette is visible from more than a hundred kilometers and resembles a medieval Bulgarian fortress.
The monument was built to commemorate the hill where a battle between Bulgarian revolutionaries and Osman's army took place.
It is important to note about this military battle that the Bulgarians numbered around 7,500 in total, while Osman's army numbered 27,000 soldiers. The task of the Bulgarians was to fight Osman's troops and not let them conquer Shipka Peak. Because otherwise, Osman would then have gone back north, surprised the Russian army, and all would have been lost.
But the Bulgarians succeeded and this monument commemorates their heroism.
The monument was inaugurated on August 26, 1934.
To build it, it was financed by voluntary donations from the Bulgarian people and funds from the Russian people.
894 steps lead to this building which reaches 32 meters in height.
A large bronze lion, symbol of the Bulgarian state, guards the entrance to the monument. On the other three facades of the building are inscribed the names of Shipka, Sheynovo and Stara Zagora: the three battlefields during the defense of the pass.
In its basement, there are 17 marble sarcophagi where the names of Russian and Bulgarian soldiers who died during this war are engraved.
The other seven floors of the museum display personal items that belonged to volunteers and soldiers: medals, photos, weapons and documents relating to the battles of Shipka.
The top floor of the Liberty Monument offers a magnificent panorama of the surrounding landscapes.
The museum also has a shop which offers information brochures and souvenirs.
Trips on foot or by transport to the different sites of the park are organized.
The Shipka Monastery and its monument are therefore two important places to visit in Bulgaria to discover the rich history of the country!
Velikden – Easter
Easter in Bulgarian is called Velikden (the Great Day). This celebration is the most important among the events and Traditions and Feasts listed in the Orthodox calendar (ahead of Christmas). While waiting for Easter, it is customary to practice Lent. This begins after the so-called day of forgiveness “sirni zagovezni”.
Decorating Easter eggs
Preparations are organized throughout the preceding week. The constituent elements of this traditional celebration are the coloring of eggs, the baking of a special braided brioche, attending midnight mass and the egg fight the next day.
Women and children dye hard-boiled eggs in different colors.
The red being dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Then they decorate them together according to their creativity.
For example, two people facing each other hold a raw egg in one closed hand and must succeed in breaking the other's egg by hitting it with their fist. According to custom, the one whose egg is not broken will be lucky all year round.
You will find many other Traditions and Festivals in Bulgaria as well as a number of events throughout the year.
Festivities
Traditionally, eggs are rubbed on children's cheeks, a symbol believed to wish them good health.
There are also games with raw eggs.
Christmas Eve
The Orthodox Church of Bulgaria follows the Gregorian calendar and Christmas (Koleda in Bulgarian) is celebrated as in many countries on December 25. It is a very important and highly anticipated event by Bulgarians where the whole family comes together, ancient customs and traditions come into play and the Christmas spirit is felt.
Cities like Sofia are usually decorated with Christmas lights, trees, fireworks and colors during the festive season.
The Sofia Christmas Market is the highlight of the festive season in Bulgaria where women from different regions often go there for Christmas shopping.
During the Christmas celebration, tradition calls for an odd number of different dishes to be served.
Usually, there are seven, nine or twelve dishes, but for Christmas Eve, they must be without meat.
Christmas Eve represents the last day of fasting of 40 days of Advent which began on November 15.
The meatless tradition is respected even by people who have not followed the Christmas fast.
It is an exclusively vegetarian meal that, for its participants, encourages abundance in the coming year.
Vegetable dishes are cooked, such as stuffed peppers, legumes, seeds, fruits, honey and nuts.
Walnuts are a staple on the Bulgarian Christmas table and the way the nuts are cracked predicts success or failure for the year to come. On the table are served different typical Bulgarian cuisine dishes, such as sarmi.
And the traditional decorated round bread called “Banitsa” should also be served. Some people put a coin inside and the person who finds the coin is supposed to have happiness and good fortune for the rest of the year.
They say that the more dishes there are on the table, the richer the coming year will be.
And tradition requires that, after dinner, the table be left untouched until the next morning to ensure the sustenance of ghosts, ancestors who might return to visit before Christmas morning.
On Christmas Day, Bulgarians are allowed to eat meat.
Traditionally, families gather around the fire and a huge dinner.
They make wishes for the following year while eating pork sausages or turkey.
At the start of the celebration, a ceremonial log called a “badnik” is placed in the fireplace and burns until morning.
During the evening, a group of young men (“koledari”) dressed in traditional costumes go from house to house and sing songs for health, wealth and happiness.
This tradition is said to protect villages from evil spirits during the festive season.
Santa Claus is called “Dyado Koleda” which literally means Grandfather Christmas.
He is dressed in a red outfit and leaves presents for the children at midnight.
Christmas is one of the many opportunities to visit Bulgaria in Winter.
Martenitsa
Before the arrival of Spring, there is an unmissable Tradition and Festival in Bulgaria – the event of Martenitsa or Baba Marta.
On March 1st, Bulgarians wear and offer a Martenitsa which brings good luck, a symbol of health, long life, fertility and abundance.
It’s a small handmade pompom with red and white wool, silk or cotton threads.
And we wear it on the wrist, on the chest or in the pocket while waiting to get rid of it as soon as spring arrives.
Several stories are transmitted about the origin of this tradition.
And its beginnings can be found in the History of Bulgaria, in the years of the founding of the Bulgarian state in 681.
Before a battle between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines, the khan told his Bulgarian army that he would signal whether or not the battle was won by sending his falcon, with a white thread on the leg for a victory and the red thread if the Byzantines took over.
The battle was tough but the Bulgarians managed to bend the Byzantine ranks.
But the white thread of the falcon, wounded on the way by a Byzantine arrow shot, initially appeared red in the eyes of the Bulgarians, before they realized that it was the blood which had tinted the thread red.
Since then, every March, Bulgarians pin a white and red braided thread to the lapel of their jacket.
And part ways when they see the beginnings of spring arriving.
But another story has also remained which tells that Grandmother Marta went out with her granddaughter Martitchka to take the sheep to the pasture.
She knitted while Martitchka played with the lambs. Suddenly, a very strong wind blew and blew the little girl's apron off.
The little girl started to cry.
The bushes were then colored with the red and white filaments of the apron which had clung to them.
To calm her, Baba Marta collected the white and red threads, twisted them and wrapped them around Martitchka's wrist, as well as around the lambs' necks.
Martitchka's friends arrived and Baba Marta also gave them small bracelets.
The character of grandmother Marta draws her sources from the peasant farmer community.
They say in Bulgaria that when she smiles the sun comes out and the snow melts.
When she is not in a good mood, the earth freezes.
Originally, it was mainly children who wore the martenitsa until the day they saw a migratory bird, a stork, a flowering tree or any other sign announcing Spring. At this time the martenitsa is traditionally hung on a fruit tree or hidden under a stone.
The Kukeri Carnival
Fat week, around the New Year, is celebrated with a Tradition and Festival – the Kukeri carnival.
They are costumed Bulgarian men walking and dancing in villages with the aim of scaring away evil spirits with the help of their costumes and the sound of their bells.
Costumes cover most of the body and include decorated wooden animal masks and large bells attached to the belt.
They are believed to drive away evil spirits and ensure good harvests, health and joy in the village for the year.
The origin of this festival dates back to ancient Thrace where it was a festival in honor of Dionysus.
It is a tradition which popularly expresses the hope of peasant populations whose future depends on the abundance of the harvest and the happiness of the children who will fill the house. The Kukeri carnival announces the arrival of spring.
According to tradition in Bulgaria, Kukeri are masked people. And they made the decoration of their mask using multicolored ribbons, beads, beads, pompoms, fringes… etc.
On their belts, they attached bells which are intended to ward off evil spirits.
During the parade, the Kukeri engage in pranks that make the audience laugh. At the end of the parade, they mime plowing and sowing after which the game leader nods heavily to evoke the heavy ears of wheat. Every five years, this event is organized in January in the town of Pernik as well as in other regions of Bulgaria.
The Nestinarstvo
Nestinarstvo, which means “dance on the embers” is one of the Traditions and Festivals and one of the most impressive rituals of the Bulgarian tradition. The ritual is a blend of Eastern Orthodox beliefs and ancient pagan traditions from the Strandja Mountains. This practice honors the worship of Saint Constantine and Saint Helena.
This practice honors the worship of Saint Constantine and Saint Helena who are the Bulgarian saints celebrated by Christians on May 21.
It is a barefoot dance on burning embers (жарава, zharava).
It is performed by nestinari (нестинари) who has traditionally obtained the right to perform the ritual hereditarily, from father to son or daughter.
And to whom we often attribute a gift of clairvoyance acquired through the practice of this sacred dance.
After a day of rituals, at sunset, the crowd prepares a large fire which usually takes place in the village square.
And we perform a horo (a traditional round dance) until the fire disappears and only embers remain.
Nestinari’s “barefoot dance” on the embers, which follows the climax of the night, is accompanied by the rhythm of the sacred drum specially used for the ritual and the sound of a bagpipe.
It is popularly believed that some of the dancers achieve a religious trance state while dancing, explaining why their feet do not burn and they do not feel pain.
This dance is today a kind of communion for Bulgarians – a transcendent ordeal by fire.
The dance on the glowing embers is always punctuated by the sound of the drum and the bagpipes.
The dancers launch themselves in turn, an icon of Saints Constantine and Helen in their hands, onto the embers spread out in the village square.
This is a tradition passed down from generation to generation.
And the magic of Nestinarstvo is part of the cultural heritage of Bulgaria and represents the past of the regions and customs that once accompanied the lives of local people.
The Feast of the Epiphany
In Bulgaria, the traditional feast of Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 at the same time as the baptism of Jesus, under the name “Yordanovden” or Saint Jordan’s Day. According to the history of the country, these celebrations originally began during the Middle Ages when ministers and senior government officials gathered for the occasion.
Festival of Folk Costume in Zheravna
“Folk costume festival” is an annual event held in the village of Zheravna.
This is a large gathering where Bulgarians come together and honor traditional Bulgarian costumes.
The first edition took place in 2008 and over the years, the event has seen growing interest.
The main requirement for participants is to put on a Bulgarian national costume in order to fully integrate into the atmosphere of the celebration.
Clothing can be authentic or theatrical, created or rented for the occasion.
During the festival, participants have fun, sing, play, dance, drink and eat as it was in their great-grandparents' time many years ago.
Because the authentic atmosphere has contributed to the fact that there are only mainly used tools and accessories as they existed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – wooden spoons and ceramic bowls, traditional rugs. or goat hair to sit on.
Indeed, during the festival the rule is that cell phones, cameras, camcorders, modern handbags for men and women, sunglasses, etc. are not allowed. are not authorized.
It is a great festival dedicated to sharing and traditions and of course celebrated with traditional collective dances.
For the enjoyment of participants, professional and amateur folk music groups and singers are invited who perform songs and dances from different folk regions of Bulgaria.
There are also reconstructions of real pehlivanski fights, Mummer and Masquerade games, mystical Nestinarstvo fire dances, ancient games and customs, a presentation of old crafts.
Enjoy your discovery and enjoy your stay in Bulgaria!
The Rose Festival
Welcome to the Rose Festival! Where the Scent of Roses Meets Ancient History.
Rose Festival in Kazanlak: June | every year Party, festival
THE FESTIVAL HAPPENS EVERY YEAR IN MAY-JUNE
The biggest Bulgarian Rose Festival has been organized annually since 1903 in Kazanlak. It celebrates our deep connection to the Rosa Damascena – the Bulgarian oil-bearing rose and all the gifts it has blessed the Rose Valley with for centuries.
The Rose Festival is organized every year and lasts 3 weeks, with the culmination of the event always happening on the first weekend of June : The coronation of the Rose Queen and Rose picking rituals are its most signature events.
EXPLORE THE VALLEY OF ROSES AND ROSA DAMASCENA
Cultural, dance, music, artistic, social and sports events happen across Kazanlak and the surrounding villages in May-June. Attend concerts, workshops, expos, parades and other activities for all individual tastes with the Festival parade and the Rose Queen coronation being the culmination of it all.
During this time, the area gives off a pleasant scent and is covered with multi-colored flowers.
Cultural agenda of the main events, celebrations and festivals in Bulgaria
Festival of Folk Costume in Jeravna: August 18, 19 and 20 | every year, festival
Anniversary of the reunification of Bulgaria in Plovdiv: September 6 Feast, festival
Bulgarian Independence Day in Veliko Tarnovo: September 22 Commemoration
Saint Barbara in Bulgaria: December 4 Religion
Sofia Christmas Market: November-December | every year
Christmas : December 25 Religion
Ladouvane in Bulgaria: from December 31 to January 1 Party, festival
Surva, international festival of masquerade games in Pernik: January | every year Party, festival
Vine Festival (Trifon Zarezan) in Bulgaria: February 14 Feast, festival
Martenitsa in Bulgaria: March 1st Feast, festival
National Liberation Day in Bulgaria: March 3 Commemoration
Sofia International Film Festival: March | every year Party, festival
Saint-Lazare (Lazaritza), flower festival in Bulgaria: March 24 Religion
Earth Hour: March 24 Special operation
Easter: from March 30 to April 1 Religion
St. George (Gergiovden) in Bulgaria: May 6 Religion
European Night of Museums: May | every year Special operation
Slavic Writing Day in Bulgaria: May 24 Feast, festival
Rose Festival in Kazanlak: June | every year Party, festival
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