The main Bulgarian celebration events are : * Baba Marta, all of March, beginning with the 1st of march * Nestinari * Kukeri *

Koleda Koliada or koleda (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic languages , Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany (holiday) , Epiphany or, more generally, for Sl ...

(

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

), Koledari * Velikden (

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

) * Name Days * International Mother's Day, March 8 * Independence Day, March 3 * Sveti, Sveti Kiril i Metodii, May 24 Other Bulgarian customs, specific for

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, worship God, the saints, the nature, the health, and chase away bad spirits : * St. Andrew's Day - 30 November * Antonovden - 17 January * Archangelden - 8 November *

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

* Budnik *

* Valtchi praznici *

St George's Day Saint George's Day is the Calendar of saints, feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, regions, and cities of which he is the Patronages of Saint George, patron saint, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bu ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

* Dragon chasing * Gorestnici - 28,29,30 July * Dimitrovden - 26 October * St John's Eve - 24 June * Need-fire * Trifon Zarezan - 1 February / 14 February * Horse riding Todorovden - 1st Saturday of

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

Feast of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...

- 14 September * Lazarice (

Lazarus Saturday Lazarus Saturday in Eastern Christianity (consisting of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches) refers to the moveable feast before Palm Sunda ...

) - 8 days before

in the name of Lazarus *

Maccabees The Maccabees (), also spelled Machabees (, or , ; or ; , ), were a group of Jews, Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which at the time was part of the Seleucid Empire. Its leaders, the Hasmoneans, founded the Hasmonean dynasty ...

- ab 1 August for 12 days, to remember the

* Mratinci - Chasing of bad spirits, 14 November *

Nestinarstvo The Anastenaria (, ) is a traditional barefoot firewalking ritual with ecstatic dance performed in some villages in Northern Greece and Southern Bulgaria. The communities which celebrate this ritual are descended from refugees who entered Greec ...

- Fire dance * Nikulden - 6 December * Pali Kosh - 2 March - circle dances around a Campfire * Dodola * Petliovden - 20 January - Praying for a better harvest * Rusalska sedmica - Dance procession like

Exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...

, one week after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

* Sirni zagovezni - On Sunday, seven weeks before Easter. Jumping over the campfire and juggling with fire *

Survakane Survakane () is a Bulgarian custom used to wish a prosperous new year. Survakane is a tradition performed with a decorated stick, known as a ''survaknitsa'' () or ''survachka ()'', on New Year's Day, as a measure for health during the year. Tradit ...

(Beginning of the new year), Kukeri (At the beginning of the new year and on Sirni zagovezni) and Koledari (on

), * Todorova nedelja - The period between Sirni zagovezni and Todorovden * Dogs swinging - The first Monday of the period Todorova nedeljaВасилева, Маргарита. Календарни празници и обичаи. В: Добруджа. Етнографски, фолклорни и езикови проучвания. БАН. София, 1974. стр. 320. * Throwing willow branches into water spring on

* Throwing wood crosses into water spring on Iordanovden, the 6th of January to remember the

Baptism of Jesus The baptism of Jesus, the ritual purification of Jesus with water by John the Baptist, was a major event described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament ( Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghta ...

Literature

* Българска народна митология. Енциклопедичен речник. Съст. Анани Стойнев. Изд. гр. 7М+Логис, София, 1994. * ''Маринов Димитър'' Народна вяра и религиозни народни обичаи. Второ фототипно издание. — София, 1994. * ''Маринов Д.'' Жива старина. Книга перва: Верванията или суеверията на народа. — Руссе, 1891. 189 с.

References

External links

Small booklet about Bulgarian customs, traditions and celebrations
Free PDF booklet by Bulgaria Info-Online Magazine
Българските традицииОrenda-bg.net
* {{Bulgaria-stub