Bulgarian Christmas - Many customs for Lent

In Christian Europe, Christmas has become the most important family celebration of the year. Each country in Europe has developed its own customs and Bulgaria is no exception. The Orthodox and religious country has a special relationship with Christmas and over the centuries numerous exciting customs have developed, which we would like to introduce to you in our blog post.

Bulgaria is an Orthodox state, with its own religious branch. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church belongs to the Christian denomination, which is why Christmas is celebrated in a big way in Bulgaria. In general, however, Bulgaria is not a very religious country, which is related to its communist history. Nevertheless, 4.4 million followers of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church live in Bulgaria and celebrate Christmas on December 25 and 26. This may surprise you, because the Orthodox Christmas is traditionally celebrated on January 7. Bulgaria, on the other hand, has the Gregorian calendar and thus has adapted its church festivals to the Western calendar. Christmas is not celebrated on January 7, but on December 25 and 26, as in Western Europe. These two days are therefore also public holidays in Bulgaria. On December 24, however, work is done, but Christmas Eve is also celebrated in the family. This, however, is not celebrated as Christmas, but as part of Lent, but more on that later. Christmas in Bulgaria is called Koleda (Коледа) or Roshdeßtvo Chrißtovo (Рождество христово). People wish each other "Weßela Koleda!" in the country, which means "Merry Christmas".

In Bulgaria, a period of fasting takes place before Christmas, similar to that which occurs in Germany before Easter. The period of fasting starts on November 15 and lasts up to and including December 24. During these days, devout Orthodox Christians abstain from meat. It is to come exclusively vegetarian courts on the table, which were prepared before with vegetable fat. A major exception to this rule is December 6, when St. Nicholas Day is celebrated. Saint Nicholas plays an important role in the Orthodox Church, which is why his day is used by Bulgarians to break their fast. Traditionally, fish is eaten on December 06, as Saint Nicholas is considered the protector of fishermen. The end of Lent takes place on Christmas Day and is celebrated on Christmas Eve before.

Like everywhere in Europe, Christmas in Bulgaria is a celebration for the family with a religious background. The days are used by Bulgarians to get together with the family and to celebrate and eat together. Actually, Bulgarians did not know the custom of gift-giving, but in the course of globalization it has also entered Southeastern Europe. The gifts are brought by Santa Claus, the "Djado Koleda", on the night of December 24 to December 25, and all good children are presented with them on the morning of Christmas Day. The commercialization of Christmas has not left Bulgaria unscathed. The shopping streets in the cities get festive decorations, Christmas trees are put up in the stores and international Christmas classics come out of the loudspeakers. Supermarket shelves are stocked with speculoos, stollen and gingerbread, some of which are even imported from Germany. The big business around Christmas increases from year to year, but is mostly still limited to the big cities. Nevertheless, Bulgarians keep their Christmas traditions and customs, which we would like to present to you now.

Christmas Eve is a working day in the Orthodox Church and a part of Lent. However, on the evening before the Christmas mass, there is a last Lenten meal together, which is accompanied by many customs. Already at the invitation, care is taken that an odd number of guests come to the table, as this number has a special background. Also the number of courses plays an important role. During the meal, walnuts are served, a loaf of bread is distributed and incense is waved afterwards. During the whole night the table remains set and there is no clearing. Each of these customs has a particular traditional background, in which superstition, as so often, plays a decisive role.

For the last Lenten meal on Christmas Eve, seven, nine, or even 13 dishes are served. Since Lent does not end until after the Christmas Mass and is eaten before, the meal on Christmas Eve is part of Lent. For this reason, all the dishes are vegetarian food. As mentioned earlier, the number of guests at the Lenten meal must also be odd. The odd number of courses and guests represents a respective meaning. If seven courses come on the table, these stand for the number of weekdays. If there are 9 courses, they represent the number of months during a pregnancy. 13 is the number of the apostles with Jesus added. In addition, the number 33 is always mentioned, which stands for the age at which Jesus died on the cross.

The food on Christmas Eve is vegetarian, because before the Christmas mass the fasting period has not ended yet. First, the first course in Bulgaria is traditionally simple lentils, which has the background that legumes stand for health and this is most important to the people. Subsequently, many other foods are used, the order of which can be chosen at random. These include:

- Peppers stuffed with beans
- Stuffed vine leaves
- Bean soup
- Fruit salad with oranges, apples or pears
- Dried fruit such as plums, dates, quinces or figs
- Nuts
- Seeds like sunflower or pumpkin
- Boiled wheat with honey

In addition, the typical dishes:

- Sarmi: cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and raisins
- Pitka: a traditional yeast bread
- Baniza: a puff pastry
- Oshaf: cooked dried fruits
- Tikvenik: a strudel with pumpkin

In order to come to an odd and high number of courses, each dish is served separately. Thus, each dish is a course and the desired nine or 13 courses are quickly reached. It is also the case that many dishes are given a further meaning. For example, onions represent prosperity, honey represents a sweet life, and garlic protects against evil spirits. As you notice, the last Lenten meal is a very special ceremony on Christmas Eve. By the way, the beverage served throughout the evening is a lot of red wine.

In Bulgaria there are two interesting customs, some of which are incorporated into the meal and some of which take place afterwards, are the cracking of walnuts and the dividing of bread. In the custom with the nut, each guest at the table is handed a walnut and must crack it in front of the other guests. The content reflects the success and failure in the coming year. For example, if the nut is empty, it will be a difficult year. In a further step, there is the bread, which is handed by the eldest at the table. The bread contains a coin baked into it and is shaped as a Christian motif, usually a cross. The first pieces of the bread are reserved for God, St. Mary, the house or work. Then the guests receive their pieces. Now, whoever finds the coin in his piece is predicted a good and healthy year. However, it is important to put the coin under the pillow before going to bed.

However, not all customs on Christmas Eve revolve around food. In Bulgaria, the oldest member of the family has other duties. He is given the honor of lighting the fire, which then usually blazes in an open fireplace. The so-called badnik is burned. This is a piece of wood from an oak tree. If this burns the whole evening long, it will be a healthy and beautiful new year. A second task is the passage with incense through all rooms in the house. This has the background that evil spirits are driven out of the house. After the meal, there is another custom that the food is not cleared away. The table remains set because, according to popular belief, during the night the deceased ancestors or the Lord God himself come to visit.

A widespread Bulgarian custom is the caroling of the Koledari. Starting at midnight, young men parade through the villages in Bulgaria and ring the bells at the houses. Often the Koledari have rehearsed a song or a special performance. The men are dressed up, and the costumes vary from region to region. What they have in common, however, are the sticks of cornelian cherries decorated with popcorn, which are used to pat the backs of the house residents they visit. Thereby the young men wish a healthy and happy new year. In addition, they want to drive away uninvited spirits from the apartments. In return for their wishes, the Koledari receive pretzels, sweets and often a lot of wine from the inhabitants of the house. In some cases, money is also part of the reward.

It seems that people in Bulgaria have to take a rest from all their customs on the actual holidays, i.e. December 25 and 26. Christmas itself is free from traditional activities. Here, the family is fully in the foreground and there is a contemplative celebration. In addition a rich meal belongs after the long chamfering time naturally to it. Here meat comes after longer time again on the table. Mostly pork or poultry, but also fish is traditionally very popular in Bulgaria. In contrast to many other countries, however, there is no typical Christmas meal in Bulgaria. In addition to meat dishes, however, much emphasis is placed on sweet dishes such as cakes or desserts. The meal lasts very long and Bulgarians like to drink red wine over the holidays.

Let's look briefly at the days after Christmas and take a look at the turn of the year. As in Germany, New Year's Eve is celebrated with friends and in pubs, and there is a lot of alcohol on tap. A special custom is the distribution of a large round Börek. Shortly after the turn of the year, the oldest guest has the task of turning the plate with the börek three times until it comes to a stop. Each guest must now take the piece of the börek that is in front of him. Between the dough sheets, wishes such as luck, success, love, health or even laziness were worked in beforehand. Everyone receives a ticket and can be happy about the drawn wish in the coming year. On New Year's Day in the morning, a custom similar to the Koledari at Christmas takes place. The children, dressed up and carrying decorated dogwood branches, visit their parents and grandparents and pat them on the back. They recite poems and offer wishes for the new year. The adults thank them with sweets or a little pocket money.

Finally, let's take a look at German customs and how they are treated in Bulgaria. First, we look at the German export hit Christmas market. This is largely unknown in Bulgaria. This can be explained by the strict Lent season, which does not want to go together with a Christmas market around candied apples and roasted almonds. Occasionally, however, especially in large cities, they actually exist. The Christmas markets in Bulgaria are rather copies of German editions. The markets in the City Garden in Sofia or on Stamolov Square in Plovdiv are strongly reminiscent of the Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt. Also unknown due to Lent are the Advent calendar or the Advent wreath. Bulgarians prepare their bodies for Christmas and therefore sweets from the Advent calendar do not fit into the pre-Christmas season. The Christmas tree, on the other hand, also exists in Bulgaria. The Christmas tree decorations are colorful and have a high density. It is customary for the tree to remain up until 07 January, the Orthodox Christmas. Moreover, the gifts are also placed under the tree in Bulgaria. However, you will look in vain for the nativity scene in Bulgaria.