CONTENT

TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS IN BULGARIA
The Rose Festival
Grandma March Day
Lazarus Day/ Palm Day
Kukeri
Nestinarstvo
The Rose Festival
The House of Humor and Satire

FESTIVALS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
Sziget festival - Hungary
Spring Festival/ Chinese New Year - China
The Falles - Spain
St. Patrick's Day - Ireland
The National Tea Day Festival - the UK
Maple Syrop Festival - Canada
Daeboreum - Korea

INTRODUCTION

If you are one of those explorers who love to learn new things and experience different cultures, then you are just like us! We are glad to share some information about the places which we have found as interesting places for you!
We enjoy learning about different countries. We believe that festivals are a great way to explore new places and immerse yourself in a culture which is not necessarily close to your own. Meeting the locals and participating in the events they organize can be extremely fun and educational.
In this book, we have picked Bulgarian and World Festivals which we believe are worth visiting. I am sure that no matter what your preferred type of entertainment is, you will fall in love with at least a few of the destinations!!!
Enjoy reading!

TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS
IN BULGARIA

Grandma March Day

Grandma March Day is a holiday celebrated in Bulgaria, on March 1st. Martenitsas, usually in the form of a wrist band, small yarn dolls, or tassels, are created by combining red and white colored threads and are worn on that day and throughout March. They are worn until a stork or a blossoming tree is seen, symbolizing the coming of spring, warmer weather, and well being. Once the stork or blooming tree appears the Martenitsa is taken off and hung on a tree. It is common in the spring to see trees festooned in Martenitsas. In Bulgarian folklore the name Baba Marta evokes a grumpy old lady whose mood swings very rapidly. The common belief is that by wearing the red and white colors of the Martenitsa, people ask Baba Marta for mercy.

Slaveika

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Lazarus Saturday in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy is the day before Palm Sunday to which it is liturgically linked. It celebrates the raising of Lazarus of Bethany, the narrative of which is found in the Gospel of John. Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday together hold a unique position in the church year, as days of joy and triumph interposed between the penitence of Great Lent and the mourning of Holy Week.
During the preceding week the propers in the Lenten Triodion track the sickness and then the death of Lazarus, and Christ's journey from beyond Jordan to Bethany. This week is referred to as the "Week of Palms" or the "Flowery Week.

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Lazarus Saturday

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Petya

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The position of Lazarus Saturday is summed up in the first sticheron chanted at vespers on Friday. Having completed the forty days that bring profit to our soul, we beseech Thee in Thy love for man: Grant us also to behold the Holy Week of Thy Passion, that in it we may glorify Thy mighty acts and Thine ineffable dispensation for our sakes, singing with one mind:
O Lord, glory to Thee.

Kukeri

Kukeri are elaborately costumed Bulgarian men, and sometimes women, who perform traditional rituals intended to scare away evil spirits. Closely related traditions are found throughout the Balkans and Greece (including Romania and the Pontus).

Paola

The costumes cover most of the body and include decorated wooden masks of animals (sometimes double-faced) and large bells attached to the belt. Around New Year and before Lent, the kukeri walk and dance through villages to scare away evil spirits with their costumes and the sound of their bells. They are also believed to provide a good harvest, health, and happiness to the village during the year.

The kukeri traditionally visit peoples' houses at night so that "the sun would not catch them on the road."After parading around the village they usually gather at the village square to dance wildly and amuse the people. Kukeri rituals vary by region but remain largely the same in essence.

Nestinarstvo: fire-dancing ritual in Bulgari village

The ancient Bulgarian ritual Nestinarstvo is held to ensure the well-being and fertility of the village Bulgari in south-east Bulgaria. The ritual is famous with its unique barefoot dances on fire performed by nestinari who inherited the right to perform the fire-dance. The whole ritual lasts all day long on 3th of June and the festival culminates in a fire-dance in the evening as the highest form of veneration of the Saints.

Nikolai

The Rose Festival

The Rose Festival in Kazanlak is the first in Bulgaria and has over 115 years of tradition. The first Kazanlak people in 1903 organized a celebration in honor of the rose, the flowers and the fertility, the beauty and the thanksgiving for the livelihood of the Rose Valley. Today, the holiday has preserved the most essential part of the ancient rituals, recreating the joy of the coming rose-rose and the hospitality of the hard-working Kazanlak people.

Simona