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As early as 7000 years B.C., 3000 years before the Egyptians, traders from this land, now known as Bulgaria, had crossed up and down the Mediterranean. This long and winding history gave a source of not only great national pride but also an inspiration for a new national spirit. Much has perished through all these millennia, but even more has remained - a rich spiritual world which will shower you with the colours, rhythms and melodious songs of living Bulgarian folklore, the unfading beauty of Bulgarian arts and crafts, the gaiety and vivacity of Bulgarian festivals and customs, the piquant taste of Bulgarian cuisine and the delicate fragrance of Bulgarian wines.
Plovdiv region and the city, villages and towns therein, with its remnants of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman civilizations, count among their wealth an unusually diverse culture, parts of which have remained unchanged for centuries. In this section of Plovdiv Guide, we offer you a trip through the land which has been so richly endowed by God with elegant beauty and invite you to discover its traditions, customs and rituals.
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A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z · All · |
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January . February . March . April . May . June . July . August . September . October . November . December |
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 | | Name day of everyone named Varvara, Barbara. St. Varvara’s Day sets the beginning of the winter holidays in Bulgaria. That day, the mistress of the house should bake small `buns` for the little boys and small `dolls` for the small girls. She boils wheat, corn and beans and gives them away to the neighbors for health and for the mercy of Grandmother Measles, so that the children are healthy. more > |
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 | | Name day of everyone named Sava, Slavka, Slav, Vladislav, Slavi. The name Sava comes from the Old Greek for ‘Saturday’ (having the meaning of “foreseeing”). In some villages Sava is a woman, a saint, sister of St. Varvara and St. Nicholas. At other places Sava is a man, protector of wolves, also called “wolf herd”. more > |
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 | | Name day for everyone named Nikola, Nikolay, Kolyo, Nikolina, Neno, Nenka, Nikolina, Nina. Nikulden is an important winter holiday celebrated by all Bulgarians on December 6th. According to the Christian myth for the division of the world, St. Nicholas was given the seas, rivers and lakes. He is the master of the whole underwater world – the fish and water demons, as well as the sea winds. According to the legends, St. Nicholas can rage and stop the sea winds, can walk on the seas and if there is a ship in danger, he will rescue it. more > |
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 | | Name day of everyone named Anna, Ana, Anita, Aneta, Anette. In the folk legends Saint Anna, the mother of Virgin Mary, is the protector of marriage, the family, virginity, pregnant women and the widows. Therefore, on that day, women are not supposed to work, and men don’t go outside their village, otherwise mermaids would fall in love with them. In the evening men burn dry ox dung in front of the door to drive away evil spirits from the house. more > |
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 | | Name day of everyone named Spyridon or Spiro. In some villages the holiday is called “Conception” Day. It is observed by women and mostly by those who will give birth soon. That day the young brides who want to become pregnant are bathed in hot herbal water. more > |
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| | Name day of Snezhana, Snezha more > |
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| | Nameday of Svoboda more > |
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 | | Name day of everyone named Danail, Daniel, Daniela. In Christian legends, St. Daniel was put in the pit where the lion, but instead of tearing him to pieces, the lion licked him with his tongue. The prophet Daniel symbolizes the personality of Christ disarming death and temptation. That day is celebrated by all pregnant women. They bake breads and give them out to the neighbors – that is supposed to make the year fertile and to assure them an easy delivery. more > |
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 | | That feastday is more popular in the far southwest and southeast regions of Bulgaria. According to the folklore traditions, the women are supposed to give out votively baked round breads which will keep the cattle safe and the family healthy throughout the year. That day the Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of St Modestos, Archbishop of Jerusalem. more > |
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 | | Name day of everyone named Ignat (from the Latin, the name means ‘fire’), Ognyan, Ognyana. This feastday marks the beginning of the folk New Year. On the evening before, the mistress of the house prepares the table for Ignazhden – meatless dishes and a big bun, divided into pieces in the morning by the “crawler” (i.e. the first guest to the house). Then she takes with a spoon some of the boiled wheat and corn (chinichka), tastes some of it, and the rest she throws over the fire for the chicken to fly freely and the wheat to grow high. more > |
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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