Traveller's Adventure - Secrets of Bulgaria

09/12/2022

Can you guess the place?
💙

01/07/2020

How to celebrate July Morning like a Bulgarian ☀️🇧🇬

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/bulgaria/articles/this-is-why-every-country-in-the-world-should-celebrate-july-morning/

Discover this unique semi-hippie Bulgarian tradition that celebrates the beginning of the summer in a fun and fascinating way.

24/06/2020

Happy Enyovden 🌞

The days around the summer solstice in Bulgaria are mystical and supernatural, full of magical ancient rituals, and until this day some of the most ancient traditions are still followed around in the villages.
June 24 or as we call it, has pagan Thracian origins but is also the day of Saint John the Baptist of the Orthodox and Catholic churches.

The numerous rituals are all connected with the sun, the solstices and equinoxes. After Enyovden the day starts decreasing and the sun begins her journey towards winter, as the saying goes "Enyo has put on his fur coat to go and find snow".

It is believed that on this day the sun has magical powers, especially during sunrise.
According to the tradition, the sun oscillates at sunrise and whoever sees this oscillation will be healthy throughout the year. The first thing a person should do at sunrise on Enyovden is to turn to the sun and observe her shadow over his shoulder. If the shadow reflects the person’s entire body, then he will have health.,

Another ritual you have to do in the morning of Enyovden is to wash yourself with running water or lay in the morning dew because all water after sunrise on this day is believed to have gained curative powers.

Enyovden is also known as the Day of because at sunrise the herbs have the most healing power. So according to the tradition you have to pick herbs early in the morning in order to be healthy during the winter.

At the celebration itself a 5 year-old girl is dressed in white and red clothes, wearing a red veil and a wreath of flowers with a silver coin in the middle, then, an unmarried woman picks the girl up on her shoulders and together with all the unmarried women they start walking around the village and the fields, singing songs for health and fertility.

The typical Bulgarian tradition on the eve of Enyovden is for unmarried girls to drop bunches of flowers and rings in a jug of “silent water”, this water has special powers because it was guarded through the night by a fortune-teller.
At the morning of Enyovden a girl would be dressed as a bride and with her eyes tied would take out posies and rings, predicting the other girls’ future husbands.

And ofcourse no Bulgarian holiday will go through without some drinking... continuing the Thracian rituals– presenting wine to the gods, feasting with wine, executing rituals with wine.
participating in the Enyovden rituals is connecting with the supernatural through the divine drink of the gods – .

This is one of the most beautiful and ancient traditions in Bulgaria and an extremely purifying experience for the body and soul, soaking in the powerful forces of the nature and the sun, dancing with beautiful girls, surrounded by flowers, music, fresh herbs and wine - a must for a Traveler in Bulgaria during this magical time of year.

Say your blessing to the sun today it gives us life and lifts our souls 💛

21/06/2020

Happy first day of summer to all creations of the universe!
☀️ The summer solstice ☀️

June 21 Today is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night.
Humans observed the summer solstice as early as the Stone Age and cultures around the world still celebrate the day with feasts, bonfires, dancing and singing... so let's see what the Bulgarians are up to today:)

Neolithic humans started to observe the summer solstice as a marker to figure out when to plant and harvest crops. Before Christianity, ancient European pagans welcomed summer with bonfires. It was thought that bonfires would lift the sun’s energy and it would better the growing season and guarantee a good harvest for the fall.
The Bonfires are associated with magic, It is believed that bonfires could help banish demons and evil spirits and lead maidens to their future husbands and magic is thought to be strongest during the summer solstice.
According to the folklore, evil spirits would appear on the summer solstice and in order to ward them off people would wear protective garlands of herbs and flowers.

There are plenty of archaeological structures in the world that are thought to reflect ancient observations of the summer solstice and ancient calendars, such as the know Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza.
In Bulgaria lies the greater part of ancient Thracia, and you can find the Thracian cultural Megalithic sanctuaries tradition in the depth of every mountain, rock-cut monuments, temples and tombs within barrows in the lowlands.
The Megalithic sanctuaries are cult centers always situated high above settlements and near water springs, in positions convenient for observing the horizon and celestial phenomena.
Archaeoastronomical research suggests that they are ancient solar observatories devoted to cults of the Sun and the Great Mother Goddess.

The valley of Kazanlak is known as “The valley of the Thracian Kings”, this territory contains about 1,500 mounds, which reveals the richness of Thracian temple and tomb architecture during the entire first millennium BC as well as the Roman epoch. Archaeoastronomical investigations point to rituals determining the longest and the shortest days of the year. At the solstices, beams of sunlight illuminate sacred spots in the temples connected with specific cult practices.

In the pictures you can see the Thracian Megalith, dating from 1800-1600 BC called "The door of the goddess" (or "The sun door"). One of the most ancient Thracian sanctuaries found in the Bulgaria, located south of the village of .
It is a group of stone blocks (trilit) which form a window. There are other interesting rock structures around as so called "The Throne" - for the observer of the rituals and "zhervenik" for the bonfires and a short walk from there are the ruins of the glorious Buzovo Kale fortress.
This complex was used not only for cults and rituals, but also for astronomical observations and a calendar.
So now days we continue to celebrate this ancient mystic and on June 21 the many people come to the sanctuary to watch the entry of the solar disk into the the rock hole. Many people still consider the area as a high-energy space especially on th bday of solstice - the sun’s rays passing through the rock hole bringing light to the village below, awakened the earth for a new life.
It is believed that the Thracians saw this megalith as a kind of gateway between the worlds, they used to rejoice when someone died, because it is after death you begin the real life - in the afterlife, the residence on the ground was considered a punishment.
The megalith reviels a view of the capital of the Odritsy Seuthopolis - nowdays submerged under the waters of the Koprinka Dam, the lost city.

If you want to get lost in myth and magic make sure to visit this mysterious hill, every step you take will reveal an ancient secret.
My tip - stay over night so you can observe the the sky full of stars, it is the best observatorium you can ask for, one created by mother nature.

Bless the sun that shines upon us 🙏
And let's get this summer started
🍹🌻🌡🌞

24/05/2020

Честит празник! 🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬

❤ May 24 - Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment, Culture and the Slavonic Alphabetthe. The official Day of St. Cyril & St. Methodius 💚

Brothers Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki, which was one a part of teh first Bulgarian Empire, in the 9th century. Both brothers were men of God and renounced their lives to live in a monastery on the Bosphorus Sea. Later, they were sent into the regions of Russia to convert Jews, Khazars and Moravians to Christianity. They subsequently invented an alphabet called , marking the creation of what it today known as the alphabet, which is used in languages. The brothers translated lithurgical books into Slavonic and began to convert followers to Christianity.
This day marks the beginning of the Slavonic alphabet, literature, education and enlightenment in Bulgaria. Their feast day was declared by Pope Leo XII in 1880.

Numerous Cyrillic alphabets are based on the Cyrillic script. The early Cyrillic alphabet was developed in Bulgaria at the "Preslav Literary School" by Saint Clement of Ochrid and Saint Naum and replaced the earlier Glagolitic script developed by Cyril and Methodius. It is the basis of alphabets used in various languages, past and present, especially those of Slavic origin, and non-Slavic languages influenced by Russian. Around 252 million people in Eurasia use it as the official alphabet for their national languages. About half of them are in Russia.
Cyrillic is one of the most-used writing systems in the world❣

"Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of magic."
Carl Sagan

🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬HAPPY HOLIDAY

24/05/2020

All eyes on Bulgaria ❣

“In my view this is the oldest and strongest published evidence for a very early upper palaeolithic presence of Homo sapiens in Europe, several millennia before the Neanderthals disappeared,”...

Cave objects suggest modern humans and Neanderthals shared continent for several thousand years

22/05/2020

- The Bulgarian Fire Dance
✝️🔥🎶💧🥁💃

One of the the most mind blowing holidays in Bulagria and one of the most ancient rituals, this is a traditional barefoot fire-walking and ecstatic dance ritual performed in several villages of the Bulgarian side of the Strandzha Mountain, near the Black Sea coast.
The communities which celebrate this ritual are descended from refugees who entered Greece from Eastern Thracia following the Balkan Wars.
They have been keeping the secrets of their mystic ritual for centuries – ever since the time when the Thracian priests were trying to connect with their gods.

This ritual is not just a dance on embers, it unites legends, rituals, memories and prophecies for the future. It is a time of magic and mystery and secrets of ancient rituals, happening in the heart of the mountain.

🌀The unique annual ritual cycle begins on May 21 and ends on May 23 every year. All the significant days in this cycle coincide with important days in the Greek Orthodox calendar and are related to various Christian saints but mainly to St. Constantine and St. Helena.
The two major events in this cycle are the festival celebrated on January and the one celebrated on May.
Now days it is celebrate on June 3rd, according to old calendar.

🔥In the evening the dancers (Nestinari), led by the Churchwarden, head to the chapel of St. Constantine, where they light candles and pray before the icons.
Meanwhile the coils are prepared at the village square - a large fire is set at noon and is maintained until the evening, after that the burned coals are spread in the form of a circle. After the sunset the Nestinari, accompanied by a drummer and a bagpiper playng non stop the ritual music, gather around the circle of Ambers (a shrine) and dance to the music of the Thracian lyre and drum. Each community of the Nestinarstvo has a special shrine where their holy icons are placed with the Saints' "signs".
After dancing for hours they enter barefoot into fire...
The belief is that after playing and dancing for many hours and enter a trance, they can be "seized" by St. Constantine and he will protect them from getting burned and bless them with health and strength and predictions about the future.
In fact the Nestinari spend a lot of time before the actual ritual in a small space dedicated to acquiring the trance state of mind.
Whatever the secret is, it is the mystery of it that makes the ritual so special.

💧On the morning of the Saints' day they gather at the shrine and go to a well and drink from the holy water or go to a spring to be sprayed in order to be blessed and also sacrifice animals. The rules about the nature of the sacrifice are precise, but differ from village to village.

👨‍👧‍👦The right to perform the ritual is hereditary title that was passed in the the family. In the past they had a whole secret calendar of rituals they performed throughout the year but this tradition was lost in the 60's.
Today it is more common that the Nestinari are to be chosen by the saints, the ones that don't get burnt when they step on the embers.

The head "Nestinar" is succeeded only by his or her son or daughter, and only when he or she is too old or ill to continue performing. He's house is sacred because it contains the "Stolnina" – a small chapel where icons of several saints were arranged, and the sacred drum used specifically for the ritual and believed to cure the drummer if he was I'll.

⛪ According to some myths the custom originated in the Middle ages, when the church of St. Constantine in it's original home in the village of Kosti in Bulgaria, caught fire. The voices of the saints calling for help could be heard from inside and the villagers who entered the the flames to rescue them remained unharmed, being protected by the saints.
☀️ Other ethnographers, however argue that the Nestinarstvo is a vestiges of ancient Thracian practices of the cult of Dionysus.
They believe it all started as a ritual dedicated to the Sun, where the embers symbolize the warmth and light of it. It was only the Thracian king (the highest priest) who could perform the ritual.
As almost every holiday in Bulgaria, when Christianity arrived and overwhelmed the Thracian territories, the ritual was transformed to suit the new religion, this is how the carrying of the Icons got included for example.
It is a unique blend of orthodox beliefs and prehistoric pagan ritual observance of Strandzha Mountain.

🙏The ritual was banned during the Communist era in Bulgaria, but the locals kept on doing it on a smaller scale.
For the last 30 years it has been revived, and we are lucky to be able to witness this almost lost ancient tradition.

📸In the 20th century the ritual became commercialized and is performed for tourists in the seaside resorts of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, by people who have little to do with the original tradition. But the true rituals survive in its authentic form in six Bulgarian villages in the Strandzha Mountain. In these villages there is the only time and place where the original pagan firewalking ritual takes place.

In 2009, the ritual was entered in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, a "Living Human Treasures - Bulgaria".

🗓 Soon we will be able to travel and celebrate and continue exploring Bulgaria's magic - make sure to mark your calendars and join me for some barefoot fire walking next year, you have time to practice 😉

See you on my next journey...

10/05/2020

https://m.facebook.com/EthnicBulgaria/photos/a.1758226404411849/2247500812151070/?type=3?sfnsn=mo

Breaking records in breathtaking Rila lakes 💚❤

Bulgarians tried to set a record for the biggest mountain horo. The event took place on a large meadow at the fifth of the Seven Rila Lakes - Kidney. There were dancing ensembles with costumes from the 7 ethnographic regions of Bulgaria. The idea is to promote the beauty of our country as well as our national traditions, folklore and culture, and with the mountain horo the organizers will apply for a Guinness World Record.

Another record attempt will be made - for a living inscription at an altitude of 2200 meters. The participants in the dancing ensembles, caught on their hands, "spelled out" with their bodies "Bulgaria".
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Българи се опитаха да поставят рекорд за най-голямо планинско хоро. Събитието се разигра на голяма поляна край петото от Седемте рилски езера - Бъбрека. В него участват танцови ансамбли с носии от 7-те етнографски области у нас. Инициативата е на фондация „Нашият дом е България". Целта е да се популяризират красотата на страната ни, както и националните ни традиции, фолклор и култура. С планинското хоро организаторите ще кандидатстват за рекорд на Гинес. 🇧🇬

Ще бъде направен и още един опит за рекорд - за жив надпис на надморска височина 2200 метра. Участниците в танцовите ансамбли, хванати за ръце,"изписаха" с телата си „България".

08/05/2020

B U L G R I A ❤

06/05/2020

Happy name day to my grandfather - Georgi ( dyado Gosho ) there are not enough words do describe he's beauty ❣❣❣

Happy Gergyovden to all the shepherds and their lands 🇧🇬

May we all be free and happy, a year full of sunny days and beautiful nature💚❤
These pictures are from our magical house among the mountains of Rila, which he built with he's own two hands👑

05/05/2020

🌼⚔🇧🇬Happy Gergyovden 🇧🇬⚔🌼

The day of is celebrated in Bulgaria annually on 6th of May. It is an official state holiday and one of the biggest and most important ones.
💂‍♂️ It is also “Day of bravery and the Bulgarian army"
🐑 “Day of the shepherd”
⛪ A "church holiday" and a "name day" for the people sharing the saint’s name - Georgy (and their variations), as my beloved grandfather ❤ since I was a kid this day was a big celebration in our family.
It's the most celebrated name day in Bulgaria, around 200,000 people bearing the name! Fun fact: the nickname for Goergy in Bulgaria is "Gosho" :)

🐉In Bulgaria St. George is also known as Flowery George 🌺) - the bringer of summer. The one who killed the "Lamia" (snake/dragon), the drought- bringing winter demon, destroyer of the crops. Then he rode around the fields spreading futility to the land.
As almost every Christian holiday in Bulgaria, this also is a reflection of the pagan Thracian roots and ancient pagan traditions- in this case probably of the thracian rider god.

On Gergyovden rhe celebrations are all around and there are various rituals connected to health and fertility of land and animals, for marriage and the family, here are some of them:

💧In the early morning of Gergiovden, before the roosters awake, people go to a field or a meadow and bath in the morning dew. It is believed that in this time of year the morning dew is blessed and whoever baths in it will be healthy. The morning dew will also cure disease and if a bare woman baths in it she will become fruitful. Bathing in natural springs on this day is also a custom.

Another ritual is gathering and filling natural mountain water in bronze pens, decorated with spring flowers and taking it home. It is believed that this water has great healing power on that day and luckily there are countles drinking fountains in bulgaria so everyone, everywhere can do that.

🍀On the way back from the bathing, people gather fresh green plants and flowers which they use to decorate the doors of their houses, themselves and their cattle. Herbs are also gathered that morning because it is believed that they too have a very potent curing power on this day.
A magical plant known as "razkoviche" appears in the form of a 4 leaved clover, bestowing power and good fortune on those who find it.

🥚To increase the fruitfulness of the fields, the land owners take the first coloured red egg from Easter and walk with it around the field, finally burying it in the middle. You can also bury it in the pens and stalls.

☀️ more colorful rituals are the making of spacial swings decorated with plants hanging from a tree, young girls swing on them for health and fertility from the sun.
There is a legend about the Sun sending down swings upon his golden rays so that he could catch the girl that he loved as she swung from earth to heaven.

🌙 Witches can draw down the moon and milk it like a cow. The village grandmothers milk the goats and cows and fill the bronze pens and then throw it into the rivers.

🐑The main ritual on Gergiovden is the sacrificial lamb. Depending on the region, the lamb is either slaughtered in the house, making sure the blood is sprinkled on the walls or slaughtered under the trees or near a river. The lamb’s blood is also spread on doors and corners of the rooms and even the children’s faces, so that they will be healthy during the year.
Usually, the lamb is roasted whole on wood and brought to the church to be sanctified.

🌾In small villages, the feast is usually for the whole villagers. It is done on a green filed near a church. After sanctifying the field people bring the cooked lambs, ritual breads made with the dew water gathered at morning, fresh milk, cheese, yogurt, fresh garlic and all the goodies.
As you already guessed the most important thing is to party :)
People dance together the traditional "horo" while the folk songs that tell the story of St. George and the dragon are sung and played and they dance, sing and drink till morning light.

🖤 The eve of Gergyovden is a time for magical happenings, every area has it's own legends...tales about buried treasure, mysterious fire flames and what not. The most interesting thing you can do is visit small villages and hear some stories from the old folks.

Don’t forget to greet all the Georgis you know! we are always here to give you a reason to party and have a drink, almost everyday is a holiday 🍾🥂

01/05/2020

Happy Snake day 🐍💚!
Irminden (St. Jeremiah) the prophet, whom is considered the patron saint.
In folk belief snakes emerge from winter hibernation on "Blagovets" (celebrated on March 25), but the king of the snakes appears on the 1st of May and this is day is celebrated in honor of the snakes and lizards 🦎🐍🐉
In folk tales, serpents go out of their holes to the Holy Forty Martyrs or the Annunciation and their king comes out, he can bring wondrous gifts, but can also be dangerous. Snakes have an important mythological role in many cultures. They are feared but they are also viewed as guardian spirits with magical powers and the gift of rebirth.
On this day, several rites are performed: snake-beating, cranial drafting and making of bonfires. Old people believe that anyone who works in the field that day will be bitten by a snake in the summer.

Snake beating is not done on the day itself, but on the evening before and its similar to what is done against the Annunciation (Blagovets). A girl or a woman picks up an iron tool and rye and bangs them to create noise around the house and the yard while they utter spells or oaths:

"Run run away snakes and lizards! for its St. Jeremiah's day and he will blind you with tongues and skin you with flint"

In Western Bulgaria, in the night before bonfires are lit and people jump over them, while making noise and yelling the same words.
In the early dawn woman decorated with crowns of grass and flowers on their head gathere together for the ritual preparation of new "podnitsi" (shallow clay pans used for baking bread). They dig up the clay together, trample it with their bare feet, and then each makes her own "podnitsa". The floor is believed to have magical powers and Participation in the ritual that step on the clay from which it is made will be protected from being bitten by a snake.

In southern Bulgaria the snakes are chased away by plugging holes in the walls with rags or fertilizer collected from the morning bonfires and a prayers and chants are are made for protection from Hail and thunder.
This day is celebrated especially by pregnant and unborn women, so that they can be preserved at birth and their children will not be ill with Jeremiah - a disease caused by various evil forces.

Have a great weeke and be sSsssafe 😉

01/05/2020

Good Friday dear followers. Today is the premiere of this breathtaking short film by Stefan Apostolov.
It shows the magic and mystery of our land in a beautiful way. Our history and ancient stories. Check it out if you want to see our special rituals and legends come alive.
💚❤

23/04/2020

Happy world book day 📚❤🖋

In Bulgaria books are all around, placed on pavements, along the rivers, in eco trails and on every corner of every town...
There Is a whole boulevard in Sofia, dedicated to books with pavilions full of any book your soul desires.
Check out some of our beautiful libraries, and try to imagine the magical feeling of taking a long walk in the forest and suddenly stumbling across an old lady selling old books, a true bulgarian experience ❤

"So many books, so little time!"

21/04/2020

תמונות מן המסע האחרון שלנו לבולגריה בינואר.
בין סעודה לחגיגה לפסטיבל, עצרנו בעיר הקסומה - ברזניק.
שם הוקמה האנדרטה הראשונה לזכר ניצולי השואה, על גבעה יפייפיה ליד חוות סוסים משוחררים.
משום מה, את סיפור הצלת כל 48 אלף היהודים שהיו בשטחה של בולגריה לא מספרים לדור החדש, סיפור על טוב לב, אומץ ונצחון החמלה והאור על החושך. תוכנית גירוש יהודי בולגריה לא יצאה אל הפועל בשל מאבקם של פוליטיקאים, אנשי כנסייה ואזרחים שהביאו לביטול צו הגירוש. עמדו על פסי הרכבת, החביאו ילדים ומשפחות בכנסיות, בבתי ספר ובבתים הפרטיים, הפגינו ונלחמו על אחיהם- ללא קשר לדת או צבע.
בברזניק, כמו בהרבה עיירות אחרות, הקימו מחנות עבודה ליהודים - מחנות אלה שימשו כאמצעי ותחבולה להגן על היהודים, משום שבולגריה היתה בעלת ברית עם גרמניה היא ביקשה להשאיר את היהודים בתירוץ שהם צריכים אותם לעבודות בנייה ובכך מנעו את גירושם אל מחנות ההשמדה.
הבניינם בהם התגוררו אותם יהודים עדיין קיימים בעיר והמורשת שלהם שמורה עד היום בגאווה רבה.
האנדרטה נמצאת על הגבעה אותה היהודים חצבו.
לאחר הנחת הפרחים ושאיפה של האוויר הצלול בהכרת תודה לחיים שניתנו לנו נסענו אל מנזר גיגנצי, שם אירחו אותנו הנזירות כאילו אנחנו דם מדמם עם מטעמים שהכינו במו ידיהן באהבה רבה.
כולנו אחד ועלינו ללמוד מאותם אנשים שסיכנו את חייהם במטרה להציל חיים להיות טובים יותר ותמיד לעזור לכל אדם בשל הוא אדם.
✡❤✝️❤☪️❤🕉

19/04/2020

❣ Happy Orthodox Easter to all Bulgarians and to those friends who celebrate it today🥂 🎊

From ancient history to the present 🥚🥚have been an important symbol in many cultures. They are part of the creation myths of many cultures. 🌀🌠The “cosmic egg” from which all or parts of the universe arises. They often symbolize life, renewal, and rebirth🐣 They figure in much of human folklore, used for healing and protection.

🥚🍀🥚Because human interest in eggs is so old, and many cultures share similar traditions, it is possible that some egg-decorating traditions were carried with our earliest human ancestors as they migrated out of Africa.

🎨🐒The decoration of eggs is one of the oldest decorative arts. Archaeologists have long known of decorated ostrich shell pieces and empty eggs in Africa of great antiquity, found in tombs or archaeological digs dating from 65,000 to 55,000 years before the present! These eggs were likely used for storing water. The designs and colors might have been the mark of individual owners of the shells.

🦃🐓🦚Ostrich eggs are extremely durable, so they have survived. If stone age people decorated eggs of other birds, they would likely decompose. Hen’s eggs have been found in ancient Roman tombs. More often, the egg was placed symbolically in tombs .
🏛⚰The earliest example in Europe was found in a tomb of a young girl in Worms, Germany and dated to the 4th century. At this time decorated eggs were used at various holidays as well as in burials and were not yet exclusively associated with Easter 🐇.

🥚🌺🌾🕯A table decorated with flowers, sprouted wheat and other objects as well as colored eggs - appear on the altars made for the new year known as . Celebrating the vernal equinox ☀️.
This tradition has ancient roots in Persia and , but is now practiced across Eurasia by Persian and Turkish people of various faiths.

🔴Historically, red was a popular color and red eggs are sometimes prominent in these celebrations today, although altars now may include eggs of all colors. In some regions solid-color eggs have given way to eggs with multicolored decorations.
⚪In Jewish tradition it is a pure white roasted egg that is part of the seder plate at Passover.
✝️ Orthodox Christians in Mesopotamia took the symbol of the Passover egg and dyed it red as a symbol of Christ’s blood. This was the beginning of the 🥚

🇧🇬❤Red eggs are still prominent in the celebration of Easter in Bulgaria, where we have a game of tapping the hard boiled red eggs against each other. The winner is the owner of the egg that does not break 💪🏆. This game seems to have begun in southern Europe and spread northward. There is also a tradition of a sweet loaf of braided bread with whole red eggs baked into it 🥨🥖.
This became a tradition among Italian Catholics, with eggs of various colors. So we see how traditions spread from people of the Orthodox faith to people of other Christian denominations.

The traditional way of dying is using natural productssuch as yellow onions for a reddish brown and red onions for a light blue, lichens, beets and spinach, and even flower petals.

The most elaborate designs are found in Eastern Europe, and of course Bulgaria :) women are traditionally the artists responsible for decorating eggs 💃 Wax is carefully applied for creating paintings 🕯The egg is dyed and more wax is applied to create layers of color from light to dark. Examples from Bulgaria🇧🇬 may be the earliest style of these eggs. They are often red with another color, such as yellow. It is thought to be related to pre-Christian times based on the designs and beliefs about them. They are similar to the designs found on eggs in the celebration of Nowruz ☀️

The Bulgarian Easter egg tradition preserves some of the cultural symbolism and power of decorated eggs that was once, the return of spring🏵🏵🏵 although they also represented the destruction of Christ on Sunday ✝️. They are given as gifts to preserve the health of the recipient 🍀🍀🍀 bowl of decorated eggs is commonly displayed in homes at all times of year, as they bring health to people in the house. Eggs may be buried near the doorway of a house to protect the health of the people there 🏠or buried by the barn or stable door to protect animals🐄🐑🐓 The symbols on the eggs sometimes have particular meanings about the kinds of protection they may bring such as fertility and health 🐣.

In our traditions the first egg that is dyed red is rubbed into the little kids forehead and cheeks to bring them good health 👼.

The traditions of - the ancient wild greek God of wine 🍷🍇 who was worshiped by the Tracians- the ancestors of bulgarians 🇧🇬 was associated with death and rebirth🌀 and the creation myth links him to the first born deity - god of light who Hatcher from the cosmic egg at the beginning of time! 🌐
In Bulgaria as in bulgaria there is a lot of dancing and drinking in the villages squares💃 The Easter "Horo" (the chain dance) is danced in a circle accompanied by songs about dragon (zmey) kidnaping maidens lots of myths and folk tales related to dragons this time of year, I'll share some of them in my next post 🐉👸

This is supposed to be a time of joy and renewal, of the cosmic egg cracking open and new life being born. Our beautiful Mother Earth is still out there and the cycle of nature still continues, though we live in difficult times 🌍
Let's be patient and good so we can continue celebrating nature💚