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In the town of Yakoruda in Southwestern Bulgaria
the preparations for one of the best-loved holidays Gergiovden
the lasses and young brides take the colourful Yakoruda rugs out of their boxes to lend colour to their town for the grand day
in their richly decorated traditional clothing typical of the region
the amateur performers from the Svetlina-1907 chitalishte (community culture club) in the town go out into the town square to reenact an ancient ritual “dipping the posy”
a ritual connected with the belief in good and evil
bound by a red thread to a small bottle which we dip into a clay jar,” explains Iva Rashkova in an interview with Radio Bulgaria
“The jars are filled with water and the ritual can begin.”
The older women start to sing an emblematic song – St
and the first-born girls in the families start to dip the flowers
Reenactment of “dipping the posy” at the open-air Regional Ethnographic Museum Etara by a female folklore group from Svetlina-1907 chitalishte
The jars are covered with a piece of red cloth and left overnight underneath a white or a red rose bush
And late in the evening the people come out to dance the horo in the town square
we start to take the posies out,” Iva Rashkova goes on
“But this time this is done not by the first- but by the last-born child in the family
who makes an incantation for each person who takes a posy – usually for health
the girls wash their faces to make them “red and white”
and the woman of the house takes the flowers and hangs them up high – to bring luck to the home
The water from the bottle is used for sprinkling – with a wish for health to humans
“Dipping the posy” ends with a celebration on St
it is celebrated by Christians and Muslims together
George the Victor church in the town’s suburbs
which is actually the spot where old Yakoruda was once located before it burnt down in 1666
along with Muslims gift lambs for the feast day
Translated from the Bulgarian and posted by Milena Daynova
"You must have strong faith and pray - then the saint will help you and carry your prayer to God," says Father Georgi Markov of the Church of St
Athanasius the Great in Gorni Lozen near Sofia
He adds that he has often witnessed the miracles of St.
marks 1160 years since the baptism of our Bulgarian people into the Orthodox faith and 1170 years since the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet and Slavic literature
the Varna and Veliki Preslav Bishopric Metropolis.
Bulgaria celebrates 149 years since the April Uprising – an event that led to the liberation of Bulgaria after almost five centuries of Ottoman rule
we must not forget that every participant in the April.
english@bnr.bg
A horse-drawn cart passed us on the way to the sidewalk cafe in the sleepy Bulgarian mountain town of Yakoruda
where we sipped espresso and munched on phyllo-and-feta pastries
people milled about a Soviet howitzer on display
and cast furtive glances at the foreigner snapping pictures
we were shouting over the throbbing music at one of Bulgaria's hot nightclubs
complete with girls in mini-dresses dancing on tables and metal detectors guarding the doors
A visit to Bulgaria can alternately feel like taking like a step back in time and witnessing a society that has modernized at warp speed
Near a store selling Prada and Versace clothes
old women peddle handmade crocheted doilies and embroidered tablecloths
Dilapidated Soviet-style apartment buildings teem with people
I've been lucky to get an insider's view of this Eastern European country
one of the perks of becoming engaged to a Bulgarian-born New Yorker
we rented a car and crisscrossed the country (it's about the size of Tennessee) going from the capital Sofia to small mountain villages
Nowhere is the dichotomy more evident — and enjoyable — than in Sofia
We walked on the yellow brick roads in the city's center to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
the most recognizable landmark with towering domes and stained glass windows
a flea market sells traditional handicrafts and mementos from Bulgaria's communist past
including little books where people recorded paying their monthly dues to the Communist Party
we hit Sofia's night clubs along with beefy men and skinny
we sat outside and watched the arrivals in shiny new Aston Martins
a club that I realized was too hip for me when we had to pass through a metal detector to enter it
and the walls were lined with screens that showed a rotation of models posing
The eastern edge of Bulgaria borders the Black Sea
giving it about 230 miles (370 kilometers) of coastline that is a big draw for tourists
a suicide bombing outside the airport in the seaside resort town of Burgas killed five Israelis and a Bulgarian bus driver
Israel has blamed the attack on Iran and the militant group Hezbollah
but Bulgarian officials haven't identified a suspect or motive
the scars of the attack weren't visible to this casual visitor
about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Burgas
The beach is lined with gigantic all-service hotels and a promenade where vendors hawk everything from fresh berries to fish pedicures (little fish eat dead skin off your feet)
While the seaside is a big summertime regional attraction
I preferred exploring some of the country's historical sites
The land that is now Bulgaria was once part of the Roman Empire
and later Bulgaria was conquered by the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire
The ruins left behind by these civilizations still dot the countryside
where we walked through Byzantine ruins of churches dating back as early as the fifth century surrounded by dramatic coastal views
After wandering through the open stone structures (the roofs generally weren't preserved)
we took a break at a cafe overlooking the sea
also known as Philipopolis in honor of Phillip II of Macedon
The town's steep cobblestone roads led to an ancient Roman amphitheater
and columns that reveal the modern city and Rhodope mountains rising behind it
Roman ruins are on display in the subway tunnels
where they were discovered while excavating for the underground train
The cuisine is heavily influenced by Greek and Turkish food (the countries border Bulgaria and each ruled over the region for centuries)
One of the most common dishes is shopska salad
cucumbers and cheese are better than any other
and one bite of shopska made me a believer
Feta cheese is paired with phyllo dough in every imaginable configuration
Banitsa consists of dough and cheese rolled into a rope and coiled into a spiraling circle
This is served when visitors arrive and also on New Year's Eve
when it becomes a kind of Bulgarian fortune cookie
One of my favorite treats — and souvenirs — is honey
It's collected in the mountains and sold at roadside stands
often by women from the Pomak (European Muslim) minority
The honey comes in hues from light yellow to red to dark brown and the flavors differ according to what plants the bees were pollinating
I sampled a pine tree honey that can only described as tasting like music
which was created here in the 9th century by the brothers Cyril and Methodius
The alphabet is so beloved that a national holiday celebrates the letters (May 24)
Most street signs are in both Bulgarian and English
and most restaurants have menus in English
One restaurant offered “Dishevelled meat balls” and “Rice and green stuff.”
Although many well-educated Bulgarians speak English
some are more familiar with a British accent and had trouble understanding my American one
Although most people have a general familiarity with English through TV and movies
when Bulgarians nod their head up and down
it means “No.” Shaking the head from side to side indicates “Yes.” You can imagine the confusion that ensues
My head is shaking (in the wrong direction) just thinking about it
people from all over the country will take a journey back in time to get in touch with the beauty of nature and the purity of the human soul
And while the train is moving along the narrow-gauge line from Septemvri to Dobrinishte
people will be preparing for celebration on the meadows near the town of Yakoruda
the people fromYakoruda will share the feast St
Organizer of this meeting is the Save the Narrow Gauge Railway Association
which promises to turn the celebration into a tradition
associate it with being a town with predominantly Muslim population
but they are wrong,” Kristian Vaklinov says
Yakoruda has a rich history since the time of the Thracians and Christian traditions are aliveto this day while there is peaceful cohabitation between Bulgarian Christians and Bulgarian Muslims
both Christians and Muslims fill up the yard of one of the oldest churches in this country also named after St
The community celebrates together and families gather
That is why our goal is to show that we must be united and good
especially in the times in which we live.”
The first contacts with local people take place in the train
as people use it to reach their work places
Tourists are curious how these people live in places where sometimes no roads go
“In the Rhodope Mountains we see bare meadows and huts
People live peacefullytogether; they spend the winter without electricity and they survive thanks to the train
The atmosphere in which we immerse meeting them is from the beginning of the last century
Every day one sees women carry 50-60 liters of milk for a kilometer to the nearby train station
Locals walk to the train in the dark in the snow
People from the Rhodope Mountains are also citizens of Bulgaria and the EU
buttheir way of living fascinates tourists.”
Kristian Vaklinov remembers with joy the last year's edition of the St
George’s Day meeting when people had great time together
and finally with hugs and tears in their eyes they promised to meet again next year
“The local people have prepared a modest yet warm welcome at the station and then on the meadows
where they put up tents and cook food,” Kristian Vaklinov says
"They told us not to worry if it rained because every guest would be sheltered
And this is something we do not often see in everyday life
we have become cold and alienated from each other
but that does not apply to the town of Yakoruda
Here people cry with joy that something positive is happening in their city
So there is no need to do anything special - it is enough that people welcome us very warmly
that they are ready to give us shelter and that they invite us again and again to come back.”
When more than 200 people poured out of the train last March 3
an elderly gentleman exclaimed that he had not seen so many guests coming to the town from all over the country
That was the first time when this togetherness happened
able to open their hearts to others and show warmth
Bulgaria’s Minister of Tourism Miroslav Borshosh and Zurab Pololikashvili
Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism)
have officially signed the agreement for Bulgaria to host the 9th Global Conference on Wine Tourism,.
The Mini Bulgaria Park is an unusual place for a tourist tour
spiritual culture and natural landmarks of Bulgaria meet
Gorna Oryahovitsa often remains undeservedly hidden from the eyes of tourists
even though it is only about 10 km away from Bulgaria's old capital
which lies at the foot of the Balkans on the banks of the.