SlowTours.BG with Ekaterina

10/02/2025

🧉Hundreds of jars of honey and burning candles are lined up in the shape of the Holy Cross in honor of today's feast of St. Charalampius in Bulgaria. 🇧🇬
🐝 The ritual is performed only in the Blagoevgrad church "Introduction to the Mother of God" and with it, the locals celebrate the Day of the Beekeeper, patronized by the saint. It is believed that the fiery copper cross brings health and a good harvest to beekeepers.
🧉According to the custom, each producer brings honey, and after the mysterious ritual, it is eaten every morning until the end of the year. Consecrated honey is believed to be healing and has magical powers. St. Haralampius, who is celebrated on February 10, is considered the master of all diseases, especially the plague. The holiday in his honor is also known as "Plague Day".
🐝On this morning, every housewife bakes ritual bread "cake" and three small cakes and brings them to the church together with a bowl of honey to be consecrated. The pie is broken into pieces and distributed for health, and the children's foreheads are smeared with consecrated honey so that they do not get sick. Honey is carefully stored as medicine throughout the year.

02/02/2025

Today is Petlyovden 🐓 – a folk holiday for health and fertility of the male offspring. In the past, in every household, the mother of the male children would slaughter a rooster 🐓 on the threshold of the main gate. With its blood, she would make a cross sign ✝️ on the foreheads of the boys, as well as on the doors of the house. After that, she would boil the sacrificial bird and distribute it to the neighbors, along with small bread rings or pieces of ritual bread.

The custom is interpreted as a ritual promoting fertility and male potency ⚤. It is also linked to the collection of the most burdensome tax for our people – the blood tax 🩸, the taking of young boys to be trained as Janissaries.

According to legend, a mother from the village of Erketch, now the village of Kozichino in the Burgas region, hid her son and refused to give him to the Ottomans. They threatened that if she did not hand him over, he would be slaughtered. The woman then declared that she would rather kill her beloved son herself than give him away. During the night, she took the boy far outside the village and hid him, slaughtered a rooster 🐓 at midnight on the house threshold, and sprinkled its blood everywhere.

When the oppressors returned in the morning, they were stunned by the mother’s act and never took boys for the Janissary corps from the village of Erketch again. Since then, to this day, this date has been celebrated as a holiday of the male child 👶, a day honoring the masculine beginning of the Bulgarian lineage 🇧🇬.

The holiday coincides with the Christian feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, also observed on February 2. On this day, the Virgin Mary, following Jewish law, visited the temple on the 40th day after the birth of the Son of God, underwent ritual purification, and offered two turtledoves 🕊️ as a sacrifice.

01/02/2025

📢 **Happy Trifon Zarezan – the day of vine-growers, innkeepers, and wine! 🇧🇬 🍷🍇**

According to tradition, on this day, bread is baked, a stuffed hen is cooked, and a woolen bag is filled with bread, wine, and delicious dishes. Men head to the vineyards, where they perform the ritual of "pruning" – cutting vine twigs and pouring wine over them for fertility and a bountiful harvest.

After that, a "King of the Vineyards" is chosen, adorned with a wreath of vine branches, geranium, and boxwood – a symbol of the connection to the ancient god of wine, Dionysus. The celebration continues with lavish feasts, cured sausages, traditional pastries, and lively folk dances that spread throughout the village!

🍇🍷 Trifon Zarezan is a wonderful Bulgarian tradition that preserves our spirit and history. Let’s celebrate it with joy and a prosperous harvest in the year ahead!

**Happy holiday to all! 🥂**

24/01/2025

More than 250 participants – dancers, "survakari," singers, acrobats, and musicians – will take part in the spectacle *"Survakari Mysteries"*, which will open the 31st International Festival of Masquerade Games * Surva / Сурва 2025* today at 6 PM in Pernik. A colorful celebration of traditions, music, and spectacular performances awaits, enchanting all festival guests. Don’t miss the beginning of the largest masquerade festival in Europe! 👺🎭

From January 24th to 26th, 2025, visitors to Pernik will have the chance to explore the newly opened exhibition *"Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria"*, where they can learn more about the folk tradition *Surva* in the Pernik region, included in the National Representative List in 2012. The exhibition, prepared by a team from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with the Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, will be open until February 10th at the "Atrium" Gallery in the Regional Administration of Pernik. 👺🎭

Desislava Zoneva Photography focuses on the women of *Surva*, capturing some of the most beautiful faces of the masquerade festival. 👺🎭

20/01/2025

Six young men who got married last year, their best men and friends, jumped into the Cholakov`s Bridge in the town of Perushtitsa, Bulgaria, today 🌊 to celebrate the traditional ritual of Kapanki, which is performed every year on January 20 - St. Ivan's Day in the old style 📅.
On this day, young men who married in the past year bathe in the river for health and male strength 💪. According to legend, those who jump into the icy waters conceive a healthy generation.
Before that, the boy's relatives pour a cauldron with red wine, tie a bunch of boxwood, put a bunch of geraniums inside with red thread, and drop coins into the cauldron for good luck. Each groom calls musicians with whom he invites his relatives 🥳.
The invited guests bring the bride and groom a salty banitsa and a pumpkin pie with walnuts, which they leave there and go to the river with the musicians to see the ritual bathing.
Relatives bring appetizers - homemade sausage, dried meat, and cheese for a treat. After reaching the Cholakov`s Bridge, the groom strips down to the waist, pours the copper jug ​​with wine into the river, and throws himself into the icy water, splashing those gathered around the river for health. The groom takes the water-filled cauldron and heads home, accompanied by music. The bride does not participate in the bathing and does not go to the river, but stays at home and welcomes the bathed groom 💑.
When she sees him, she grabs a fruit tree or vine in the yard, and the groom pours a little water into her sleeve. This is done for fertility and fecundity, and for the groom, bathing proves masculinity 💪 and guarantees a healthy generation 👶. The obligatory element of the meal after the Kapanki is baked turkey with sauerkraut. It is assumed that Kapanki is a legacy of ancient Slavic holidays associated with water 🌊

Photos: Община Перущица

17/01/2025

✨ **The Day of St. Anton – A Celebration of Traditions, Beliefs, and Ritual Feasting!** ✨

On January 17, we honor the memory of St. Anton, the founder of Christian monasticism. This day, known as Antonovden, is a religious and folk holiday, rich in traditions, customs, and symbolism. At the heart of the celebration is the special feast households prepare to ensure health and protect the family from illnesses.

🍽 **What to Serve at the Festive Table?**

1️⃣ **Stuffed Chicken with manna croup**
The main dish for Antonovden is stuffed chicken with manna croup – a meal deeply rooted in Bulgarian tradition. Manna croup, rather than rice, symbolizes the past when this grain was a staple in Bulgarian households. You can also prepare the chicken with sauerkraut as a modern variation. Remember – pork is strictly forbidden on this day!

2️⃣ **Sweet Breads with Honey or Molasses**
These ritual breads symbolize health and protection from diseases. They are an essential part of the festive table, spread with honey or molasses to appease the dangers and bring prosperity.

3️⃣ **Banitsa and Tutmanik**
In some regions of Bulgaria, traditional dishes for The Day of St. Anton include banitsa with eggs and cheese or fluffy tutmanik. Modern cooks can use store-bought pastry sheets to save time without compromising the tradition.

4️⃣ Boiled Wheat with Honey and Walnuts
This symbolic dish is easy to prepare and perfect for honoring the holiday. Simply boil wheat, add honey and walnuts, and you’ll have a classic dish for The Day of St. Anton.

5️⃣ Additional Dishes
In some regions, lentils or other vegetarian dishes are also served. According to tradition, these foods ensure health and ward off illnesses.

✨ The Day of St. Anton is a day to honor the past and safeguard health in the present. Prepare your festive table with care and pay tribute to St. Anton by preserving the traditions of this important Bulgarian holiday. 🕊

👉 How do you celebrate The Day of St. Anton? Share your thoughts in the comments!

28/12/2024

It's somewhat amusing how different countries associate Olivier Salad with different origins. In the Balkans, it’s sometimes referred to as Russian salad, other times as French salad. In Norway and Denmark, it is called Italian salad, while Italians call it Russian salad. In Algeria, it’s known as Macedonian salad, despite having no connection to either of the Macedonians. Interestingly, some in Turkey even call it American salad! Meanwhile, Brazilians simply refer to it as Maionese, and it’s a mystery why Romanians call it beef salad.
The salad was actually invented by Lucien Olivier, a Russian chef of Belgian and French descent. Ironically, though, no one in the world seems to call it Belgian salad, which hardly seems fair!

Via TasteAtlas

23/12/2024

20/12/2024

**🌟 Today We Celebrate Ignazhden! 🌟**

One of the most beautiful winter holidays, filled with traditions and faith in goodness!

According to folk beliefs, it’s important to notice who first crosses the threshold of your home today. If it’s a good person who comes with full hands, the year ahead will be full of luck and prosperity.

🎄 **The Ignazhden Feast** is special as it follows the Christmas fasting tradition. Here are the dishes that are good to have on the table:
- Vegan banitsa (a traditional pastry)
- Cabbage rolls
- Dried fruit compote (oshav)
- Dishes with beans, corn, wheat, cabbage, potatoes, onions, and pickles

🍞 Particularly important are the **Christmas bread rolls**. The first one is shaped like a cross and is kept at home to protect it from evil forces. Additionally, one roll is made for each family member, symbolizing health and unity.

Let goodness enter our homes today, and may our tables be filled with flavor and love! ❤️

✨ Wishing you a bright and blessed Ignazhden! ✨

25/11/2024

👰Ribnovo is the last village in Bulgaria where traditional weddings with a written bride, gelina, have been preserved. The "Gelina" ritual is performed on the second wedding evening when elderly women prepare the bride, paint her face with white cream, and decorate it with sequins, garlands, and colored stones. Dressed in a traditional Ribnovo costume, the gelina sets off for the boy's home and walks with her eyes closed with a mirror in her hands. This is done so that she does not see where she is going and does not turn back, and if she opens her eyes - she sees only her beauty. 👰
On 2️⃣8️⃣ and 2️⃣9️⃣ December is "The Secret World of Weddings in Ribnovo" tour, in which we will have the unique chance to attend this ritual, filled with a lot of splendor, color, history, and old Rhodope songs.
⁉️ What else will we do?
👰We will have fun at a traditional Riban wedding
🥧We will take part in a culinary class on rolling out a traditional Rhodope banitsa in Kovachevitsa
🎋We will attend the Butterfly custom to attract rain
🥘We will enjoy the unknown dishes of the Western Rhodopes
🏡We will take a walk around Leshten and Kovachevitsa
🍷 We will taste the elegant local wines in a sophisticated wine-tasting

‼️There are a few places left, so don't wait until the last minute👉For reservations: ☎️0898471201 📧[email protected]

@последователи

02/11/2024

We are ready for the first donkey milk cheese tasting in November 🧀🫏
On this unique autumn day, when the warmth of the sun greets us in the picturesque freshness of The Вълшебната гора / The Magical Forest, a celebration of flavors and an unforgettable experience awaits - a tasting of three types of delicate cheese "Magara", created from high-quality donkey and goat's milk - rare and a valuable product rich in flavors and healthy qualities 🌳🌳🥂🍷
The cheese is paired with selected Bulgarian wines and fresh seasonal fruits. A cozy conversation awaits us with people who love good food and wine 🍎🍇👫
If you want to enjoy such an experience, book in advance on ☎️ 0898471201

@последователи

08/10/2024

🎗It is our honor and joy to announce that SlowTours.BG with Ekaterina is now a professional member of the World Food Travel Association (WFTA) - the leading global authority in gastronomic tourism.
‼️WFTA annually serves a community of 200,000 professionals in 150 countries. The association's knowledge, tools, and training help trade professionals and organizations use their area's food and beverage to create a strong sense of place that increases visitor interest, generates destination brand equity, and exports demand for food and drink.
‼️WFTA has a powerful strategy to enhance economic and community development, along with food tourism research, professional certification, and the development of invaluable resources for business owners and entrepreneurs in the food and beverage tourism sector.
‼️WFTA is the oldest and largest food tourism organization in the world and is highly respected among stakeholders in the food, beverage, travel, and hospitality sectors.
❣️Thank you for the honor! ❤ 🙌

Learn about culinary tourism & how to benefit your business or destination.

15/08/2024

The feast "Panagia - Raising of the Bread" from 2008 is celebrated in Kyustendil on this day - Great Mother of God. The women of the local community centers prepare Virgin Mary pies as it was done in the old days. Their involvement takes place around old churches that need restoration. Everything begins with a prayer, and the wheat is consecrated. Maidens bring silent spring water for the preparation of the ritual bread, and the participants in the ritual wash their faces and bosoms and in complete silence knead the Virgin cakes. The involvement begins with the mother woman and then ends with the maiden who accepts the tradition. When the bread is ready to be baked, it is placed in trays (vessels for baking bread, characteristic of the Kyustendil region). A lid (cover) is placed on them, which is covered with embers from the hearth. Thus, according to popular ideas, the saucer symbolizes the earth, the whisk is the sky, and the dough - life. Making your own bread is the first step towards a sustainable lifestyle, say the participants in the ritual. According to them, bread, in addition to being something sacred, is a kind of art, but also a test of inner peace and the feelings you carry - if it becomes beautiful and tasty, then you feel good. It is no coincidence that in the folk tradition, a sick person is not allowed to make bread. It is very important to share the bread with someone. Ritual breads are characterized by placing a prosphoric seal on them, as well as the fact that they are lean - only salt, water, and flour
The organizers of the celebration in Kyustendil are the Municipality of Kyustendil and the Episcopal Vicarage.

Photos: Marieta Ivanova, Kyustendil

13/08/2024

Returning to childhood as if with a time machine, to pet a sheep, play with a dog, carve a boat out of pine bark, ride a horse, grill potatoes and mushrooms (well, there were venison sausages too 😋), to ride on an old truck, knead mekitsi, and climb in the rope park. 🏞🌳🐑🐎🔥
And all this in the green bosom of the Teteven Balkan, where nature simply takes your breath away. This is what this family from Israel, who lives in London, but returned to their Bulgarian roots to touch childhood again, experienced with us from SlowTours.BG with Ekaterina in Приключенски парк ,, Рибарица". There were so many emotions that very soon we expect them again in Bulgaria! 🇧🇬🥰

@последователи

09/08/2024

The people of this family came from Israel, through London, and all the way to the Teteven Balkan, Bulgaria, to ...make Bulgarian mekitsi! Master Rositsa taught them how to knead soft dough to make the soft ones fluffy. With powdered sugar, cheese, and jam, this is how the glory of Bulgarian mekitsi will be spread around the world! 🇧🇬🥞

24/06/2024

🌺🌾June 24 is one of the biggest Bulgarian folk holidays − Midsummer's Day known as Enyovden (Enyo’s Day) dedicated to herbs, water, sun, and health rituals. We also associate it with the former premarital divinations with bunches of flowers.
🌺🌾 The most common and enduring belief is that herbs picked before sunrise on Enyovden have great healing power. Modern herbalists, as well as people who use medicinal plants in their daily lives, really get up literally in the middle of the night and go to their favorite places to pick Enyovden herbs.
🌺🌾An object of healing and protective properties is Enyo’s wreath, which the girls weaved with herbs. According to popular belief, it must contain 77 and a half herbs. Such is the number of diseases - 77 are known, and "the half" is unknown. Folk healers know which are these 77 herbs for known diseases, and the “half” they are supposed to pick with their eyes closed - a stalk that accidentally falls into their hands. This bunch of herbs is dried and stored, it is believed that it can cure all diseases.

15/06/2024

Purple Bulgaria! Lavender season 💜 Ask us about lavender tours