Published in: Entertainment & Humor, Education. Starting from November, people prepare decorations and buy special cards with their wishes which are baked in pies—“Pogača“ (Погача). … My first question to Kristian was how do Bulgarian Orthodox people celebrate Christmas? All its religious observances are similar to those from the western countries. Bulgaria’s Christmas Eve is celebrated with a meal consisting of an odd number of dishes which follows the forty-day Advent fast. So around the 15th of November the fasting starts and it means that you are suppose to eat meatless food or drink alcohol for this 40 days. Mary gave birth to Jesus on Christmas Eve. Many families prefer meeting during Christmas (Koleda). VisitMyBulgaria-12.03.2020. Traditionally, Orthodox Christmas celebrations occur on 7th January, following the Gregorian calendar. Christmas in Bulgaria lasts three days! In the country of Bulgaria, Santa Claus is famous by the name of Dyado Koleda. 8 winter spots in Bulgaria to visit even if you don’t ski. The Orthodox Church in Bulgaria follows the little known Gregorian calendar. Christmas in my family (Bulgaria) I find that living in a foreign country strengthens one’s own sense of belonging to a particular culture. Tag: Christmas in Bulgaria. On the last day of the fast, families come together for a vegan meal. 0. "Bulgarian cuisine is all about the meat," says Barzakova. "But if there is one meal where you don’t eat meat, it’s on Christmas Eve." Back to my interview. It’s not clear where it derives from, but all the theories connect its etymology to pagan words. The finder of the coin is said to have good fortune the coming year. Carolers are usually treated with sweets and sometimes given a little money. All the traditions and customs are played on this day. Fish. Christmas in Bulgaria. It is done to protect the participants against the evil spirits. They are cracked to bring about success. Their founding fathers might come back to visit them before Christmas morning. When sharing with family, whoever gets the coin will be the richest the next year. It either comes from “kol,” the root word for “wheel, circle,” or from the Latin “calendae,” meaning the first day of the month. Starting on the 25th, when we believe Jesus Christ was born. Unlike most traditions, this custom has a uniqueness behind it. If you have been to Bulgaria on Christmas or stay in Bulgaria then do share your first-hand experience in the comments below. The Sofia German Christmas Market runs for a month, from November 22, 2019, through December 21, 2019. The night before the day is very relevant in the celebrations. Christmas Eve is normally dictated by traditions. It is performed by Daniel Spassov and Milen Ivanov. For Bulgarians, this is the most important celebration out of the three days of Christmas. The house owners leave the Christmas table as it is. The people also organize swimming competitions in the freezing lake and perform native plays. The bread comes with a coin baked inside. The people also like to eat grilled olives and carrots which are coated with special spices and other herbs. 12/26/20 12:49 PM. The reason is a legend which says that Mary started giving birth to Jesus on that day, but the labor lasted for four more days until Christmas Eve. Discover. Walnuts, in particular, are found on the Bulgarian Christmas Eve table. What does it include? The most common delicacy is the sauerkraut salad with leeks. At this time, they don’t eat animals or even any meat products. What is the role of a vegetarian meal? The meal traditional includes seven, nine or eleven dishes. Christmas Eve in Bulgaria Christmas Eve, which is the day before Christmas Day, is celebrated in many countries worldwide. Bulgarians celebrate Christmas on the same day Americans do, Dec. 25, though this is somewhat unusual because Bulgaria is an Eastern Orthodox country, and the traditional Eastern Orthodox celebration of Christmas lands on Jan. 7. To my surprise, Kristian replied that Easter is a much bigger holiday in Bulgaria than Christmas but he emphasized "that there are many cool Christmas … Its religious observances are similar to those in the West. What does it mean? When does the preparation for the holiday begin? The German Christmas Market is a small ‘Christmas street’ with wooden stalls, handmade gifts, charity exhibitions, mulled wine and German food. During this time, the market is open daily from 11 am until 9 pm. This should help in recalling related terms as used in this article at a later stage for you. Indulge in a traditional Bulgarian Christmas dinner after skiing at the Christmas Eve (December 24) - the night before Christmas Day (December, 25) which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Until the beginning of the 20th century this was a very strong tradition and every respectable Bulgarian was fasting the whole 40 days. However, in some parts of Bulgaria, Christmas is still celebrated the Orthodox way—on January 7th. After dinner, the hosts leave the remains of a Christmas dinner until morning for the spirits of ancestors who might come back to visit. In Bulgaria, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. Share; Like; Download ... Rosica Mileva, Teacher at School. The Bulgarian name of Christmas is “Koleda.”. The young men are dressed in traditional costumes. The Day of Saint Ignazhden. The bread is spread around the table and placed next to the house leader. Christmas in Bulgaria Taking advantage of the Christmas holidays and flight offers from Wizz from Valencia we set off to visit Europe for the first time East Europe for a week, Bulgaria. Especially for this holiday, a special bread with surprises (coins baked inside) and vegetarian meals are enjoyed. In Bulgaria, Christmas preparations start on the 15th of November. And just like in Croatia, many houses bring in a Yule log on Christmas Eve, known as ”badnik” or ”budnik.”. Celebrate Christmas in Bulgaria: What You Need to Know. An odd number of guests are invited for a meal. Strangely enough, people don't typically go to church. It is a Christian observance that falls on December 24 in the Gregorian calendar. Christmas traditions in Bulgaria. Many Eastern European countries celebrate Christmas on January 7, since most Orthodox churches use the old Julian calendar, but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar, so Christmas begins on December 25. 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