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| Folklore Customs and Holidays in Bulgaria | ||
Nestinarstvo is a ritual originally performed in several Bulgarian- and Greek-speaking villages in the Strandzha Mountains close to the Black Sea coast in the very southeast of Bulgaria. It involves a barefooted dance on smouldering embers performed by nestinari. It is usually performed on the square of the village in front of the whole population on the day of Sts. Constantine and Helen or the day of the village's patron saint. The ritual is a unique mixture of Eastern Orthodox beliefs and older pagan traditions from the Strandzha Mountains.The Festival of Roses is a beautiful festival, celebrated in the Rose Valley near the town of Kazanluk on the first weekend of June every year. In the run-up to the festival, a ‘Queen Rose’ beauty contest is held in several rounds. Artists, actors, circus performers, writers and singers flock to Kazanluk at the beginning of June. The Bulgarian rose is used by every perfume company in the world as an essential component of its perfumes. History says that in the Thracian provinces of the Roman Empire, the Thracians grew 12 varieties of roses, one of them known as the "Thracian Rose". In 1270, during the crusades, Count de Gruye brought the Damascus rose from Syria to the valley of Kazanluk where conditions proved to be perfect. The temperatures in February, when roses bud, are perfect. The blossoms are picked in May and June when the high humidity is very important. So is the cinnamon forest soil in the area and last but not least, the remarkable skills of the Bulgarian rose-oil producers. Kukeri Carnival held in the region of Dupnitsa and Pernik is a splendid festival of brightly colored masks and costumes which marks the beginning of the spring. Every participant makes his own multi-coloured personal mask, covered with beads, ribbons and woolen tassels. The heavy swaying of the main mummer is meant to represent wheat heavy with grain and the bells tied around the waist are intended to drive away the evil spirits and illness. Trifon Zarezan is the patron saint of vineyards. On 1st February (old Julian calendar, or 14th February in the new calendar), there is a ceremonial pruning of the vine shoots, and a wine libation is poured onto the earth. The custom is associated with a Bulgarian legend which tells how the Virgin Mary punishes Trifon by causing him to cut off his nose (a euphemism for the phallus) with his pruning shears. The custom and legend reflect elements of the Thracian cult of Dionysus, the dying and reborn god of wine. Martenitsa is a Bulgarian tradition related to March 1st. The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. According to the tradition people exchange white and red threads for good health during the year. The legend says that the martenitza protects the people and the household from the evil spirit of the winter. In the villages martenitza used to be tied to the legs, necks and tails of the cows, lambs and other animals. Even the trees would meet the morning of 1st of March with red and white threads hung on their branches. Today the tradition continues and there is not a single Bulgarian that would not wear the symbol of health and luck on the first day of March. Nowadays, the most popular form of the martenitza is the bracelet, while in the past only women and children used to war martenitzas as bracelets. |
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