Bulgarian Culture

Bulgaria is a country with a rich history and a truly unique culture. Bulgarian culture has been influenced by the Bulgars, Ancient Romans, Greeks, Thracians, Slavs, Ostrogoths, and Varangians. Many ancient rituals, such as Kukeri and Zarezan, that originated with the Thracians are now followed by modern Bulgarians.

Bulgaria is well known for its distinct folk music that includes complex rhythms and harmonies. Bulgarian singers are known for their extensive vocal range, and singing is enjoyed by children and adults in the Eastern European country. Dances that originate from the country are also renowned for their complexity and fast pace. While the youth of Bulgaria typically prefer more modern music and dance, folk music and dance are kept alive in many types of Bulgarian ceremonies.

Bulgarian cuisine provides tremendous variety since the country has a diverse terrain and warm climate that allows for an array of vegetables, fruit and herbs to be grown. An assortment of dairy products, wines, hot and cold soups, and pastries are enjoyed in the country. A popular dish known as lyutenitsa is a spicy dish made up of tomatoes, garlic, aubergines, vegetables oil, hot peppers, herbs and spices. There is a long-standing tradition of putting baking lucky charms into pastries on specific holidays, such as Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. The modern tradition is to write happy wishes onto small pieces of paper, wrap the wishes in tinfoil, and to place the tinfoil in pastries during special occasions.

Visitors to Bulgaria who are drawn to the local culture will get more out of their experience by gaining some understanding of the Bulgarian language. As a Southern Slavic language with its own distinct characteristics, Bulgarian may not be the easiest language to learn for most people. Building a foundation by first learning the alphabet, which uses Cyrillic script, is a great way to start. Listening to a Bulgarian podcast designed for non-native speakers will help you in your endeavor to learn the language. You will also gain a deeper understanding of Bulgarian culture by listening to podcasts and other media designed for students.

Learning how to speak Bulgarian can be an incredibly rewarding challenge that will open up a new perspective on life, and will give you a more worldly view of things in general. As you learn Bulgarian, you will be able to enhance your experience of learning more about the culture so that you can get the most out of your trip to the beautiful country.