Valentine's Day

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Lesson Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class- Holidays in Bulgaria Series at BulgarianPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Bulgarian holidays and observances. I’m Eric, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 16 - Valentine’s Day.

The feast of love, or Saint Valentine’s Day, is celebrated in many countries around the world. It’s also celebrated on February 14 in Bulgaria.

In this lesson you’ll learn how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Bulgaria.

Now, before we get into more detail, I've got a question for you-

Do you know when people with the name Valentin, Valentina and similar names have a name-day?

If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later, so keep listening!

Saint Valentine’s Day is a Christian feast. It is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on July 30 and by the Roman Catholic Church on February 14. Following the Western custom of celebrating a day of “people in love,” or in Bulgarian vlyubenite, Saint Valentine’s Day also began to be celebrated in Bulgaria on February 14.

On Saint Valentine’s Day, like in other countries around the world, people who are in love use the occasion, or sluchaya, to share or reveal to one another that they are in love. This feast is inextricably associated with romantic love, so mainly “couples,” or dvoyki, celebrate it. It’s not unusual, though, to have presents given in the family, usually from the man to the woman, in the form of flowers or chocolate.

For declarations of love, usually people send cards with love messages on Saint Valentine’s Day. Some are “playful,” or in Bulgarian zakachliv, while others are completely “serious,” or seriozen. People greet each other with "Happy Saint Valentine’s Day!" All over the capital, Sofia, and the big cities, you can see stands selling red balloons in the “shape of hearts,” or in Bulgarian vav formata na sartse.

Bulgarians often joke that people with broken hearts should celebrate Trifon Zarezan, because it’s celebrated on the same day and is associated with wine; this way the wine replaces the “sorrow,” or neshtastieto, of the person who is unlucky in love.

Now it's time to answer our quiz question-

Do you know when people with the name Valentin, Valentina and similar names have a name-day?

According to the Orthodox calendar, the name-day of the people with these names is on February 10. On this day, people bring honey or med into the church to be sanctified and it takes on healing powers.