Bulgaria, like any other state, sacredly honors its rich past and national traditions. The country celebrates a large number of public holidays that determined the course of history (Day of Liberation from the Ottoman Yoke, Day of the Bulgarian Army, Day of the Unification of Bulgaria, Independence Day, etc.) and religious (Easter, Christmas, etc.), and national ones that bear century-old culture (Trifon Zarezan, Baba Marta, etc.).

Official holidays in Bulgaria

January 1 – New Year
March 3 – Day of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke
March-April – Easter
May 1 – Labor Day
May 6 – Day of Courage and the Bulgarian Army
May 24 – Day of Bulgarian Culture and Slavonic Literature
September 6 – Day of the Unification of Bulgaria
September 22 – Independence Day of Bulgaria
November 1 – Day of People’s Awakeners
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 and 26 – Christmas

Folk holidays in Bulgaria

February 14 – Trifonov day
March 1 – Baba Marta
March 8 – International Women’s Day
April 1 – Day of Humor
May 21 – Day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena
June 1 – Children’s Day
June 2 – Day of Remembrance of those who died for the freedom of Bulgaria
September 15 – First day of school
August 18 – Feast of St. Ivan Rilski

Christmas
Christmas – один из самых любимых семейных праздников всех болгар. On Christmas Eve, Weekday evening, December 24, it is customary to cook a pig for the festive Christmas table and traditional Lenten dishes: red bell peppers stuffed with beans or rice – “chushki”, lean cabbage rolls – “sarmi”, pumpkin puff pastry, as well as a special “banitsa ”(pie), where a coin and twigs of a dogwood tree are placed for good luck. It is curious that the number of dishes on the table must necessarily be odd – seven, nine or eleven.
Christmas, по-болгарски Коляда, начинается уже с первых часов после полуночи 25 декабря. Children are knocking on the doors of houses, they are singing carols – wishes of happiness and prosperity to the owners of the house, they are patted with dogwood branches – “survaknitsa” decorated with bells, coins and red threads, so that the year will surely bring good luck, and for their efforts they receive sweet treats. But not only children go caroling, in some regions of Bulgaria they are young guys (Rhodopi) or dressed up couples (Sofia). It is interesting that the elegant beauty tree is not at all is an obligatory attribute of Christmas. She is more dressed up for the New Year.
Kolyada marks the end of the fast, which lasted a long 40 days, so with the onset of the holiday, the tables are bursting with treats. Here is a festive pig with sauerkraut, and stuffed chicken, and meat cabbage rolls, and traditional kebabs, and turkey, and, of course, excellent Bulgarian wine and brandy.
Another nice feature of the Bulgarian Christmas is that on this day all the celebrants are waiting for free treats from restaurants and cafes. To the delight of all the townspeople and guests, delicious grilled meat is prepared right on the street and delicious wine is offered, which everyone can try!

New Year
A bright and colorful holiday begins on the evening of December 31 of each year. On this day, friends and families gather together, congratulations are pronounced, wishes of good luck in the New Year and gifts are presented. The table must be rich, the more and more varied the dishes, the happier the year will be for the owners. Traditionally, they bake a layer cake, “banitsa”, cook pork with sauerkraut, meat dishes, bake an idea or a rooster with rice, and be sure to decorate the table with fruits and nuts. Празднуют болгары любимый праздник по принципу: как встретишь New Year, так его и проведешь. Therefore, it is customary to dress in everything new, have fun until the morning and arrange noisy festive festivities.

Trifonov day
Trifonov day (Трифон Зарезан) – праздник вина и веселья! Tryphon is a Christian priest who was executed for his faith in the city of Nicaea (modern Turkey) in 250. There is a legend that on the day of his execution, all the vineyards of the country were attacked by insects, and the growers called on the saint to protect them from this disaster. From now on, February 14 is a holiday not only for those who are associated with viticulture, but also for gardeners, owners of wine shops and just fans of this divine drink. In order for the autumn harvest to be successful, on this day it is imperative to cut the vine, hence the name of St. Tryphon – Stabbed, or “Pruned”.

Baba Marta
В болгарской культурной традиции встречать весну необходимо особенно красочно и весело, поэтому все болгары 1 марта дарят друг другу особенные сувениры – «мартеницы» – и говорят: «Честита Baba Marta!» (Happy Baba Martha!). Unusual dolls – “martenitsa”, made of red and white twisted woolen threads serve to appease and cheer Baba Marta, who in Bulgarian folklore is a grumpy grandmother whose mood changes very quickly, which is reflected in the changeable weather of March. Если Baba Marta улыбается, погода теплая и солнечная, а если сердится, то дует холодный ветер, а вместо дождя может пойти мокрый снег. Red represents health and fertility, while white represents strength, purity and happiness. “Martenitsa” must be tied to the arm, belt or outerwear and not removed for 3, 9 or 25 days, and in order to bring good luck next year, the Bulgarians hang “martenitsa” on flowering trees – apple, cherry or plum.

Easter
Великдень (Easter) – главный праздник для всех православных христиан. In Bulgaria, this day is celebrated on a special scale and is an official holiday, like the following Monday. Preparations for Easter begin on Thursday, when it is customary to paint eggs and bake “kozunak” – Easter cakes. For eggs, red is traditionally chosen as a symbol of rebirth and the spring sun, and Easter cake is baked with colored eggs, which must be an odd number.
At midnight from Saturday to Sunday, a bright Easter service begins in all churches in Bulgaria, after which the Bulgarians greet each other with the words “Christ is risen! He is truly risen!” And on Sunday, everyone is waiting for a festive feast, indispensable attributes of which, in addition to Easter cakes and eggs, are traditional banitsa (layer pies), a hot dish of lamb meat, fresh vegetable salads and red wine.

Day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena
Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother Tsarina Elena are one of the most revered saints in Bulgaria. On this day, it is customary to go to holy places and healing springs. It is believed that on May 21, the water in the springs has healing properties. Traditionally, this day is also associated with the arrival of summer, so fun festivities are arranged near the fire with delicious treats (lamb meat) and walking on coals.

Day of People’s Awakeners
The awakeners in Bulgaria are called the revivalists of the national spirit, who, in the difficult era of Ottoman rule for the country, laid the foundations for Bulgarian culture and history and made it possible to fight for the sovereignty of the country. November 1 is a holiday that unites spirituality of all Bulgarians, this day is a national holiday and a day off for all schoolchildren and students.