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Holidays in Bulgaria
Christmas On Christmas Eve a coin is put in the home-made bread. The host or the oldest man breaks a piece of bread for each person at the dinner table: it is believed that the one who gets the piece of bread with the coin will be fortunate in the forthcoming year. The dinner consists of 7, 9 or 12 meatless dishes. The table is usually not cleared after the dinner until the next morning. This is done to leave some food for the holly spirits – a custom which probably comes from pagan pre-Christian times.
Baba Marta Day Grandma March’s Day (or simply Baba Marta) is a holiday celebrated only in Bulgaria. It is celebrated on the first of March. Martenitsa is worn on that day on man’s wrist or on the blouse or coat. It is worn until you see a stork or a bloomed tree. Martenitsa symbolizes health and well being. Grandma March’s Day and the character of Baba Marta herself are strongly connected with Bulgaria’s folklore. The greeting exchanged on this day is Chestita Baba Marta! (or Happy Grandma March’s Day!)
3rd March Liberation Day Bulgarians were under the authorityof The Turkish Empire for five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 finished with the defeat of Turkish forces by the Russian army, supported by Bulgarian volunteer forces. The result was the Treaty of San Stefano signed on 3rd March 1878. Then an autonomous Principality of Bulgaria was created.
Mother`s Day In Bulgaria on 8th March Mother’s Day is celebrated like in many other countries. Kids make greeting cards for their moms and give them flowers. This day is also known as Woman’s Day. So every woman gets flowers and gifts on 8th March.
Easter Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon in the spring. It marks the end of the Holy Week and makes Christians remember the resurrection of Christ. The belief is that death is not the end of life but the beginning of something new. The tradition is to color eggs. The first colored egg should be red. This egg is used to dab children’s cheeks and forehead, so that they are healthy during the whole year. Also egg tapping game or egg fight is a typical Easter tradition. The winner of the egg tapping contest will have the most health until the next Easter.
Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day This is a national holiday, celebrated on 24th May. It is also known as The day of SS Cyril and Methodius. They were these who created the Slavonic alphabet – a fact that makes all Bulgarians proud with their history. Now SS Cyril and Methodius are the most celebrated of all saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox church. Saint Cyril and Methodius by Stanislav Dospevski , famous Bulgarian painter
Unification Day 6th September By the terms of the Treaty of Berlin(1878) , Southern Bulgaria (named Eastern Roumelia) was separated from the newly formed Bulgarian state and returned to the Turkish Empire with partial autonomy. Bulgarian citizens considered the decisions of the Berlin Treaty to be unfair and began a peaceful demonstration against them. Nothing happened, so they had no other choice but to defend their rights with armed rebellions. Finally, they succeeded and on 6th September 1885 Unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Romelia was reached. This became a national Bulgarian holiday.
