You will find them in the beauty of our handcrafts, in the melody and incredible voices of the Bulgarian folk songs, in the numerous myths and legends told all over the country, in the traditional dances and celebrations, in the very names of the regions, cultural monuments and areas in the country.

You will hear them in the unique rhythm, melody and harmony of the Bulgarian folk songs and chants; your heart will sense them in the merry and healthy joy-de-vivre atmosphere of the rites and celebrations. You will discern them in the everlasting beauty of the handicrafts, finely woven in the ceramic vignettes and wood carvings, colorful rugs and hammered copper-ware. The unique folklore and lifestyle diversity that still astounds the specialists is based on the traditions of Thracians, Slavs and proto-Bulgarians.  You will find them in the exquisite taste of Bulgarian cuisine and in the fine aroma of Bulgarian wines.

    Information about customs in Bulgaria: 

Sourvakars – Boys going from house to house, wishing people a Happy New Year by slapping them ritually with an ornamented twig for health and prosperity.

Martyr Triffon Zarezan (Pruner) – Vine-dresses’ day – first pruning of the vines.

Saturday of Lazarus – Dancing to the accompaniment of ritual songs for the Day – a ritual dedicated to the fields, pastures, forests and young girls: Lazarki, performed for health, happiness and fertility.

Rose day - first weekend of june

Celebrates the start of rose-picking.

Nestinars – A ritual dance on live coal (fire dancing).

Traditional folk fairs in Koprivshtitza, Shiroka Laka, Rozhen, Predela, as well as numerous festivals across the country, dedicated to folklore, and presenting authentic Bulgarian folklore.

Name Days are celebrated in addition to birthdays. A Name Day is celebrated by people whose name is derived from that of a Saint's Day being celebrated. The person having a Name Day usually brings confectionery to the office for colleagues to share. Bulgarian tradition is that one may call uninvited on a person celebrating a Name Day, to wish them well.

Wedding bands are worn on the right hand, not the left as in the West.

When Bulgarians nod their heads up and down, they mean NO. When they move their heads from side to side, they mean YES.

Baba Marta (Grandma Marta)

Martenitsa
The Bulgarian Martenitsa, Baba Marta

The Martenitsa is a unique Bulgarian custom. It originates from the ancient Thracians. The earliest martenitsas were made of white and red woollen threads to which a silver or gold coin was occasionally tied. Other rituals observed on March 1 include womens dressing all over in red, in some regions, and in North-eastern Bulgaria the lady of the house used to toss a red cloth over a fruit tree or spread red wool onto a field to secure fertility. In stock-breeding areas, a white-and-red thread was commonly tied to the livestock. The tradition is still alive and widely respected: every year on March 1 Bulgarians present each other with martenitsas.

The Martenitsa Tradition
On 1 March the Bulgarian people use to put on tiny red and white trimmings. These are known as martenitsas - named after this month.
On the first of March Bulgarian people celebrate the beginning of spring. The day is called Baba Marta (or Grandma Marta in English). On that day we give a special present called a “martenitsa” to all the people we love. The “martenitsa” is small, two coloured and made of thread - white and red. Usually they (the martenitsas) look like a girl and a boy together. When someone gives you a martenitsa you should wear it either on your neck or pinned on your shirt until you see a stork. After that you can hang it on a blossoming tree for fertility. Martenitsas are made of twined red and white threads - woollen, silk, or cotton. Out of them tassels, pompons, circles, balls, squares, human or animal figures are formed. Over the past several decades the tradition has been innovated by attaching all kinds of representations and symbols made of wood, leather, ceramics, metal foil to the thread-made martenitsas. Among these “trinkets” are miniature pistols, footballs, keys. Next to the representations of Mickey Mouse one could see Batmans mask, or the signs of the Zodiac. If in earlier times the “production” of martenitsas was a home-based female occupation, nowadays it is a seasonal industry. What is more, sometimes martenitsas are genuine works of art. Martenitsas are pinned up or fixed in a similar way on ones left side - above ones heart, on the overcoat, the jacket, the dress, the pullover, etc. Everybody buys them to give them as presents to the loved ones. According to an ancient legend, martenitsas bring health, happiness and longevity. Old-time Bulgarians believed there existed some evil force in nature called by them “loshotiya” /ill fortune/, which awaked, with the whole creation, in springtime

A Unique Bulgarian Holiday
March 1st is probably the most intrinsic holiday because it is unique to Bulgaria. The custom of wearing martenitsas (red-and-white threads worn as a decoration) is only popular in Bulgaria and it is perhaps the most positive one in all our folklore.
The traditions related to March 1st as well as the martenitsas themselves are associated with optimism and anticipation of warmer weather, fertility and well-being. This tradition is based upon the founding of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD.