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Bulgaria is a country with a very rich cultural heritage. There have been preserved historical monuments from the Paleolithic Age, the Antiquity, Middle Ages, Revival period and from more recent times on the territory of the country. |
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 MONASTERY TOUR 8 days / 7 nights Price: 794 € more reservation  FESTIVAL OF ROSES - 5 DAYS5 days / 4 nights Price: 366 € more reservation  CASINO TOURISM6 days / 5 nights Price: 494 € more reservation |
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TRADITIONS
History has allotted Bulgaria a difficult and dramatic face. For thirteen centuries, Bulgaria - the cradle of Slav culture, the land of Orpheus and Spartacus has given the world men of great achievements, mysterious Thracian treasures and burial tombs, magnificent frescos and many brilliant examples of ancient applied arts.Much has perished, but even more has remained - a rich spiritual world which will show you with the colours, rhythms and melodious songs of living Bulgarian folklore, the unfading beauty of Bulgarian arts and crafts, the gaiety and vivacity of Bulgarian festivals and customs, the piquant taste of Bulgarian cuisine and the delicate fragrance of Bulgarian wines.
Bulgarian festivals and customs date back to ancient times when men tried to appease the natural elements and trembled before their power.
Fire dancing (nestinari) is the most ancient mysterious ritual in Bulgarian history and folklore. On May 21- the day of Saints Constantine and Elena barefooted dancers performing on burning embers. This pagan happening in small rural villages in the Strandzha mountains (or increasingly in tourist resorts) marks the arrival of summer.It is a religious and mystical ritual for expelling illness, for health and fruitfulness and it must be seen to believe it.
The Festival of Roses is a lovely festival celebrated in the Rose Valley near the town of Kazanluk (at the foot of the Balkan Range) on the first weekend of June every year. The festival is a pageant of beauty in the unique Rose Valley. In the run-up of the event, a Queen Rose beauty contest is held in several rounds. Artists, actors, circus performers, writers and singers flock to Kazanluk at the start of June. The Bulgarian oleaginous rose yields 70 percent of the world's attar of roses used by every perfume company as an essential component of its products.
The history tells 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 the 1270, during the crusades, Count de Gruye brought the Damascus rose from Syria to the valley of Kazanlak where conditions proved excellent. Experts claim that Bulgarian roses and rose oil owe their unique properties to the local climate and the generous soil. The temperatures in February, when roses bud, are ideal. The blossoms are picked in May and June, when 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 - The masquerade games and customs in Bulgaria have an ancient origin and could be observed as inherent to the ancient heathendom. The performance is closely related with the hope for rich crop. The main kuker—the blesser—shakes himself to the left and to the right to show that there will be good crop this year. Then he falls on the ground to show that there will be hard harvest in the summer. And when he gets the quarter of a bushel and starts scattering corn across the square, the King of the kukeri blesses: 'Let a thousand grow from a grain! As full is the half a bushel, as abundant be the year!' The heavy cornel-tree club with heard and the wish comes true.
The kukeri clothing is specially prepared for the feast. That is why every year it is different and more beautiful. The kukeri hoods and masks are magnificent ornate and variegated works of applied art.It is made of fur, cut shirts or women’s clothes, sewn up of bands, a mixture of national costumes and animal masks and horrifying faces, with continuous ringing bells different in size and sound.
These masquerade games and customs with their lively dancing ritual steps reflect the eternal fight between Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. On the last Sunday before Lent, masked kukeri perform ritual processional dances to ward off evil spirits and ensure fertility at the onset of the growing season.
Easter - The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter (or Pascha) for the Orthodox Christians all over the world. Nowadays other colors are used as well. The eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The Easter breads are big and small and decorated. The bread is called "kolache" or "kozunak". One of these Easter breads is specially decorated with one or more (but an odd number) red eggs . This bread is taken to church on Saturday evening when a special sequence of services takes place: Midnight Office, Rush Procession, Matins & Divine Liturgy. These are actually the services of Great and Holy Pascha (Velikden). After the service the clergy blesses the breads and eggs brought by the people and they take them home.
The eggs are cracked after the midnight service and during the next days. One egg is cracked on the wall of the church (and this is the first egg eaten after the long Great Fast). The ritual of cracking the eggs takes place before the Easter lunch. Each person selects his/her egg. Then people take turns tapping their egg against the eggs of others, and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.
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