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"If you happen to be in Bulgaria on March 1, you'll notice that almost everyone you meet wears an adornment called martenitsa: a brooch, bracelet, or necklace made from red and white threads. Bulgarian tradition dictates that you must exchange these small presents and wear them from the first day of March until you see a budding tree or a spring bird, such as a stork or swallow, for the first time. Then you hang the martenitsa on a tree. All of this is to ensure that we have good health for the rest of the year. Different legends explain the tradition of exchanging martenitsa, each associated with the martenitsa's two colors. One such folktale is connected with Asparukh, Bulgaria's first ruler. The story says that some 1,400 years ago on March 1, a swallow delivered him a present from his sister: flowers tied together with silk threads, one white and one red. The tradition of exchanging small gifts with these colors has continued since."
"Leaping and dancing across hot coals to the amazement of villagers and tourists, fire dancers honor Saints Constantine and Helen with this yearly ritual that takes place on May 21. You can only find this ancient tradition in the villages of the Strandzha Mountains in southeastern Bulgaria. At the beginning of the ceremony, the leader of the dancers blesses the village and its spring with icons of the saints. Later, the fire dancers gather in the village square, where a fire has been built and musicians begin to play. When the fire dancers hear the music, they start to feel a chill in their hands and feet. Then they enter an ecstatic state and begin to dance barefooted in the fire's glowing embers, holding the icons of the saints high over their heads. They consider this an act of purification, and they pray to the saints for the well-being of the village."
"Between New Year's Day and Shrovetide, the first Sunday before Lent, Bulgarians welcome the spring with the Mummers Festival. Men dressed as mummers, or pantomiming performers, wear masks resembling the heads of rams, goats, and bulls to scare away the evil spirits of winter and allow spring to arrive. Some of the masks have two faces, one kind and the other fearful, that represent the duality of life and the indivisibility of good and evil. Mummers adorn their costumes with special bells and perform ritual dances, which are believed to drive away evil spirits and ensure a rich harvest during the year."
"On the first morning of the New Year, young children participate in a tradition called sourva. Starting from their own homes and carrying twigs decorated with colorful threads, popcorn, dried fruit, seeds, or bits of paper, groups of children visit the houses of relatives and neighbors. At each house, they tap the back of each member of the host family with their twigs and wish them a new year filled with health, happiness, and wealth. The host rewards their visit with dried fruit, nuts, buns, sesame rings, and other treats."
"A more recent Bulgarian tradition emerged during the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 19th century. It's called chitalishte, which in English means 'reading room.' But chitalishte is in no way a mere library. Rather, these institutions—open to all members of society without exception—began as places to obtain a broader education and as venues for amateur art activities such as singing, dancing, and staging plays. Almost every settlement in Bulgaria considered it a matter of honor to have its own chitalishte, and their number gradually rose into thousands scattered throughout the country. Over the years one of the chitalishte's main purposes has become the preservation of the folklore and traditions of the region in which it is located. Today, many of our country's rites are kept alive mainly because of this unique Bulgarian institution."
—Sarah Kliff
Photographs by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFPGetty Images (left), Eye Ubiquitous, Corbis (center), and Charles and Josette Lenars, Corbis (right)
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