Bulgaria

1
Bulgaria

• The land of roses

2
Our country in general

• Capital Sofia
• Official Languages Bulgarian
• Population
• 2001 census - 7,932,984
• 2008 estimate - 7,606,551
• Area
• Total - 110,910 km2
• 42,823 sq mi

3
Our habits and customs

• Nestinarstvo is a ritual originally performed in
  several Bulgarian villages in the Strandzha
  Mountains close to the Black Sea coast . It
  involves a barefooted dance on smouldering embers
  (zharava) performed by nestinari. It is usually
  performed on the square of the village in front
  of the whole population on the day of Sts.
  Constantine and Helen or the day of the village's
  patron saint. The ritual is a unique mixture of
  Eastern Orthodox beliefs and older pagan
  traditions from the Strandzha Mountains.

4
Our habits and customs

• Martenitsa is a small piece of adornment, made of
  white and red yarn and worn from March 1 until
  around the end of March (or the first time an
  individual sees a stork, swallow or budding
  tree). The name of the holiday is Baba Marta.
  "Baba" is the Bulgarian word for "grandmother"
  and Mart is the Bulgarian word for the month of
  March. Baba Marta is a Bulgarian tradition
  related to welcoming the upcoming spring. The
  month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore,
  marks the beginning of springtime. Therefore, the
  first day of March is a traditional holiday
  associated with sending off winter and welcoming
  spring.

5
Our habits and customs

• Kukeri is a traditional Bulgarian ritual to scare
  away evil spirits, with a costumed man performing
  the ritual. The costumes cover most of the body
  and includes decorated wooden masks of animals
  and large bells attached to the belt. Around New
  Year the kukeri dance through the village to
  scare evil spirits away with the costumes and the
  sound of the bells, as well as to provide a good
  harvest, health, and happiness to the village
  during the year.
• The kukeri traditionally visit the peoples'
  houses at night so that "the sun would not catch
  them on the road." After going around the village
  they gather at the square to dance wildly and
  amuse the people. The ritual varies by region but
  its essence remains largely the same.

6
Interesting places to visit

• The Belogradchik Rocks are a group of bizarrely
  shaped sandstone, limestone and conglomerate rock
  formations located on the western slopes of the
  Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) near the town of
  Belogradchik in northwest Bulgaria. The rocks
  vary in color from primarily red to gray to
  yellow some of the rocks reach up to 200 m in
  height. Many rocks have fantastic shapes and are
  associated with interesting legends. They are
  often named for people or objects they are
  thought to resemble. The Belogradchik Rocks have
  been declared a Natural Landmark by the Bulgarian
  government and are a major tourist attraction in
  the region.

7
Interesting places to visit

• Thousands of years ago, Perperikon was a massive
  bald rock. The rugged wilderness of the Eastern
  Rhodope must have cradled a rich megalithic
  culture long before the Thracian tribes inherited
  the land.

8

• The week leading up to the June solstice is the
  time chosen for the Perperikon Art Festival, its
  last night, on the 22nd of June, the shortest
  night of the year, a night of magic according to
  popular belief. And the organisers' idea is to
  make it a night of midsummer revelry under the
  starlit sky, with dance and music to celebrate a
  millennial tradition rooted in the ancient
  Dionysia.

9

• Bulgaria is one of the countries which can make
  you believe in legends
• WELLCOME to Bulgaria and become part of the
  legend