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Folk Customs

Trifon Zarezan in Shipka

by Nadejda Chotorova - 0

It's mid-February. In Sofia the snow has melted and people are already in a spring mood. Trifon Zarezan - the last holiday in winter must be celebrated as is the tradition. I am from Sofia and we don’t keep most of the traditions, except for the most famous ones. There

Welcome the spring with Martenica

by Nadejda Chotorova - 0

There are really interesting traditions in Bulgaria that a lot of foreigner find strange. One of these traditions is on First of March to give martenica. The word martenica comes from March (Mart in Bulgarian). The reason to keep all these traditions is that Bulgarians are superstitious and believe that twisted white and red

14 February – Vineyard’s Day /Trifon Zarezan/

by Nadejda Chotorova - 0

Every year 14 February is the day of vine-growers. The name of the feast comes from the the name of st. Trifon and the word "zarezan" that means trim. This tradition is related with the agriculture and the specific seasonal work - spring felling of the vineyards. Many Bulgarian the villages keep a tradition and organize

Todorovden (Horse Easter) 24 Feb 2018

by Nadejda Chotorova - 1

The first Saturday after the begining of the Long Lent is the day of st. Teodor Tiron (Todorovden). The date depends on Easter so it changes every ear. Todorovden ("Todorov" - means of Todor, "den" means day - so tha day if Todor) is also called Horse Easter (Konski Velikden in Bulgarian, "kon" means horse,

January – let us chase the evil spirits

by Nadejda Chotorova - 1

Bulgarian traditions are very interesting because they are mix of Christian and Ancient Heathen traditions. In middle of January a lot of Bulgarian towns and villages organises masquerades. The masks must be fearful so that the evil spirits escape. There are a lof of events in different places related with the tradition to chase the evil spirits. Some

Yordanovden 2018 in Elin Pelin

by Nadejda Chotorova - 1

06.01.2018 7.30 - We took the first train Sofia - Elin Pelin. The train stops 5 km. away from Elin Pelin. There are shuttles from the railway station to Elin Pelin. The church was full of people. The defile started at 10 o'clock. You can better feel the a holiday mood in the small town than

Yordanovden in Kalofer on 6th of January

by Nadejda Chotorova - 0

On 6th of January is a significant holiday in Bulgaria - Yordanovden ("den" means day, "Yordan" - this is a name, Yordanov - means of Yordan ) Bulgarians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the Baptism of God. Ususally it is very cold on that day. The tradition is to dance in the icy river. The  priest throws

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