The main religion in Bulgaria is Orthodox Christianity - one of the three most common denominations of Christianity.
In the middle of IX century Bulgaria was one of the largest and most powerful countries in Europe. Its neighbors were Christians. They didn't trust the Bulgarians because they were still pagans. Bulgarian fell into international isolation.
In 864, the Khan and his associates were baptized by Byzantine priests. The next year the whole country was baptized.
Nowadays the majority of the inhabitants of Bulgaria are Orthodox Christians, but there are also Catholics, Muslims and Jews.
Along with language and folk song traditions, the national costumes are a specific cultural characteristic of the Bulgarian people. In the different areas, the costumes are different.
From the Renaissance until XX century people were wearing traditional costumes. The casual clothes were simpler than the formal clothes. Men’s clothes were usually brown with white shirt. In some regions they were wearing special hat. Women were wearing low-cut sleeveless dress and special belt. Rich girls were wearing beautiful ornaments – earrings, necklaces and belts.
Formal clothes were worn only on holydays, weddings and christenings. All costumes were hand-made. They were made of wool and hemp. Painting the clothes was difficult, because it was made with natural paints, so only formal costumes were colorful. All costumes have got different embroideries and decorations.
Bulgarian language was the first Slavic language attested in writing. It is the third official alphabet of the European Union, following the Latin and Greek alphabets and it has about 12 million speakers.
The Cyrilik alphabet was created in 885 by two brothers – the Saints Kiril and Metodii. They were born in Salonica (Thessalonica), Greece. Some of the letters are the same as in the Greek alphabet. In 866 their students came to Bulgariaand the Slavic language was made an official language for Bulgaria in the end of 866.
Many Turkish words were adopted into Bulgarian during the long period of Ottoman rule. Words have also been borrowed from Latin, Greek, Russian, French, Italian, German and increasingly from English.
Ester is one of the most important holidays in the Bulgarian calendar. In Bulgaria this holiday is popularly known as `Velikden`, which means `the faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ`.They eat Easter breads known as `kozunak` or `kolache`. Eggs and Easter breads are traditional symbols of Easter in Bulgaria.
Congregation
At midnight on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, people in Bulgaria gather at church, with candles. The priest proclaims three times `Christos Voskrese` (Christ has risen) and the congregation replies ` Vo istina voskrese` (Indeed he has risen). After that the people go three times around the church.
Traditions
Before the actual day of Easter, each Christian family in Bulgaria would send presents to their Turkish friends containing a loaf of Easter bread and 10- 15 red eggs.
A typical Bulgarian Easter remains incomplete without traditional Bulgarian dishes like banitsa, plachinki (a type of pancake), baklava, Lamb drob sarma and wine kebap, which are prepared on the Easter Sunday
The eggs
The Easter eggs are an important part of Bulgarian Easter traditions. Bulgarians color eggs into different bright colors. And it is a tradition that the eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The ritual of cracking eggs takes place before the Easter lunch.The person who endsup with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of goodluck.
Christmas Eve has always been one of the best expected evenings for all people, one of the most festive ones in Bulgaria.
The most important part of it is the Christas Dinner. The dinner consists of twelve or more dishes to represent twelve months of the year. These dishes must be all vegetarians. Christmas is the time when whole family comes together.
The dishes: wheat, corn, soup of lentils, soup of haricot beans, nuts, red peppers with rice, apples, pears, quince, sarmi, banitsa and baklava. And the main dish is a huge round bread on which things that indicate wealth like house and cattle are craved.
Bulgarians celebrate Christmas on 25, 26 and 27 December. And people in Bulgaria don`t eat meat from 15 November until 25 December.
Koledari
At midnight on Christmas Eve there is a tradition of boys and unmarried young men visiting all the houses of the neighborhood. They sing Christmas songs that wish good health for hosts. The boys receive treats in return such as money or food. Each boy carries a stuck called `survachka`, with which each one of them pats the back of their parents, grandparents and friends, wishing them health, wealth and happiness. On these long sticks are stuck round breads with holes known as `kravai`.
Tradition
On the first of March and few days afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white and red little bracelets, tassels or small dolls called Pizho and Penda . In Bulgarian folklore the name Baba Marta ( in English баба Марта means Grandma March) is related to a grumy old lady whose swings change vary rapidly.
This Bulgarian tradition was created 1500 years ago from Khan Kubrat and his sons. Martenitsa
The martenitsa is something like small bracelet, made of red and white yarn. The Martenitsa is always given as a gift. Bulgarians wear it from 1 March until the first time an individual sees a stork, swallow or budding tree. But the ritual of finally taking off the martenitsas is different in the different parts of Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsason a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck. Others would put their martenitsas under a stone with the idea that the kind of the insect closest to the token the next day will determine the person`s health for the rest of the year. Symbolic
The red and white tassels aren`t just decorations. They symbolize the wish for good health, happiness, love. They simbolize the new life and the spring too. White as a colour symbolize the cycle of life and death, the balance of good and bad in human life.
In Bulgaria we have a traditional urban pastry called banitsa. It's very delicious. Naturally we eat it for breakfast but it can be an entree too. We often eat it with yogurt or with honey.
On New Years Eve we make a banitsa with little cornel-tree branches in it. If in your piece there's 1 branch that means "health"( you'll be healthy all year). If you have 2 branches that means "happiness"( you'll be happy all year) and so on.
Here is a quick recipe for banitsa: First you have to prepare:
#1. A package of thin filo sheets spread on the table. Make sure they lay flat and are defrosted to room temperature.
#2. A bowl, in which you should mix crushed Bulgarian Feta cheese, beaten egg, and a little natural flavor yogurt. The measurements of those are based on a personal preference. In general, the mixture should be soft, not liquid, dominated by the Bulgarian cheese and held together by the egg and yogurt.
#3. A small bowl with some melted butter and prepare a brush beside it.
#4. A round pan to the size you desire. Grease and line the pan a thin layer of oil and flour.
#5. The oven, preheated to 375 to 400F Then comes the actual process:
#1. Assuming the filo you have is thin, it is recommended to use two to three sheets per roll. By lifting half a sheet at a time, drip with the brush a few drops of butter in between the sheets you are going to use for the first roll. This way when baked, the filo sheets stay separated and crisp. Do the same for the top sheet too on which you will put the filling.
#2. With a spoon, spread a row of the mix just inside the outer edge of the filo sheet. Next, gently lift and roll the first roll from one edge to the other – being careful not to press so the filo stays crisp and airy.
#3. Place the first roll in the pans outer edge.
#4. Repeat this process and complete the spiral in the pan from the outer edge to the center.
#5. Brush the banitsa spiral with more butter, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust becomes golden from the top and bottom.
#6. Best to eat when still hot.
Enjoy your banitsa!
