Wauw, I can’t believe we’re week six already! We have already travelled half of the world and I can’t get enough of it. After Borneo, Thailand, China, Georgia and Turkey, we have finally crossed the European borders again and we arrived in Bulgaria. Bulgaria is located in Southeastern Europe and its capital is Sofia. It’s a country with a very vibrant and diverse culture.
One of the most recognizable customs in Bulgaria is the people wearing the martenitsa. The martenitsi are small pieces of decoration: two wool puppets or dolls, a red one and a white one standing for a male and a female. Bulgarian people wear these puppets from 1st March, also called Baba Marta Day, until the wearer of the puppet sees a stork, a swallow, a budding tree or until the end of March. Baba Marta Day, or Grandma Marta in English, is a traditional holiday in Bulgaria, related to welcoming the approaching spring. I think this is a wonderful tradition, celebrating spring that’s coming and looking for the typical spring symbols like a swallow. It must give the Bulgarian people a real feeling of oneness.
Another typical Bulgarian tradition is Kukeri. When Kukeri is being celebrated, people in whole Bulgaria dance in parades, wearing decorated wooden masks and large bells attached to a belt around their waist to scare away evil spirits. The event takes place around January and the most famous place where Kukeri is being celebrated is in Pernik, a town near Sofia: The Kukeri Festival. The festival lasts three days and during these days, the Kukeri Games are performed, only by men, dressed in their beautiful, handmade costumes. I wish I could have seen this, this must have been an awesome thing to experience!
If you’re ever planning on going to Bulgaria, I advise you to go in June. Why June? Because then the Kazanlak Rose Festival takes place. Bulgaria is among other things known for its famous rose oil and is considered to be the best rose oil in the world. The roses only flower for 25 days a year, between mid-May and mid-June and are grown in The Rose valley of Bulgaria. Thanks to the unique location of the valley, between two mountains, cold wind can’t reach the roses, which results in a perfect climate to grow roses. The Kazanlak Rose Festival takes place in Sofia and in Kazanlak, the Rose valley of Bulgaria. The days of the festival are filled with tons of activities and attractions: There is the election of the most beautiful girl in town, you can visit the Rose Museum, you can visit the places where the famous rose oil is being made and so on. The Rose festival has grown to be an international event where thousands of people are entertained.
Until next week, dear readers!
Fyne.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Bulgaria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martenitsa
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/bulgaria.html
http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/kukeri-festival-pernik.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukeri
http://www.brilltravel.com/our-tours-general-information/special-interest-tours/rose-festival