Events in Bulgaria

The day of Saint Dimitri signifies the beginning of winter in the Bulgarian folk calendar and he is the patron saint of winter, frost and snow. According to popular belief as the clock strikes midnight the skies will open and the first snow will fall. This day is also the last day of the traditional period (starting on St. George’s Day and ending with St. Dimitri’s Day) for the seasonal workers, like shepherds and farm hands. Because of this it is also sometimes known as Razpous (Dismissal). During this Bulgarian folk festival, celebrations include many such delights as hen stuffed with cabbage and groats, and salad peppers and eggplants.

Both a place for wine professionals and aficionados, the Salon de Vin is a chance for wine lovers to gather and taste the newest wines and spirits from the area. Salon de Vin is just a small part of the INTERFOOD & DRINK festival, all taking place at the Inter Expo Center.

Saint Barbara is the saint who protects children and animals from different diseases (above all small-pox). On this day, the people of Bulgaria traditional celebrate by taking honey and spreading it onto bread made from unleavened flour and housewives would go out in the street and hand this out to passers-by. Many of the traditionally made dishes include this same unleavened bread, or bathed bread as it is known, stuffed dried peppers and lentils in the lyaskovetz style. People also bring branches into the house, ready to bloom for Christmas.

Ladouvane, or Singing to Rings, is a celebration for unmarried girls and women who are eager to find that special someone. This takes place on New Year’s Eve in Western Bulgaria, the Central Balkan Range and in some regions along the Danube. The preparations for this celebration start early in the morning when the girls in the village drop their rings, plus a liberal amount of oats and barley (both symbols of fertility) into a large cauldron filled with spring water. The rings are tied with red thread to a bunch of foliage from perennial plants. Then it is left overnight under the stars and the next day the young ladies perform a ritual dance around it and then have their fortunes told.