Christmas Eve in Bulgaria

Daria ,9 years old

On Christmas Eve we eat only vegan dishes and they have to be an odd number. We prepare delicious things like stuffed peppers with rice or beans, grape leaves stuffed with rise, pumpkin dishes and traditional bread. After dinner is finished dishes stay on the table during the night.

Eva , 9 years old
Stuffed meatless peppers

One of the dishes that are pleased on the table of Christmas Eve are stuffed meatless peppers.
The products are: 6 peppers, 1 cup rice, 1 carrot, 1 onion, spices.
Preparation:
Cut onion of finely and stew it with a little oil and water. Wash carrot, grate it on a grater and add it to the onion. Wash the rice. Put it too. Pour water. Put the spices. Stew until the rice is half done. Wash the peppers and clean from the seeds. Fill them with the rice mixture.
Bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes.

Niya , 9 years old

Bulgarian Traditional Christmas Bread

J   500 ml of milk
J   4 eggs
J   40 gr. of Yeast
J   100 grams of sunflower oil
J   1 and a half kilos of flower
J   1 tea spoon of salt and sugar
J   For sprinkles – Sesame and Poppy Seeds

On Christmas Eve, we set the table in clay pottery and traditional Bulgarian ceramics. The number of dishes must be odd – more than 7, for example - 9, 11…
We have dried fruits, beans, stuffed peppers, “sarmi” – rice stuffing wrapped in cabbage leaves. We drink apple juice, red wine. All dishes are vegetarian, because it is not allowed meat on Christmas Eve.
               At the end of the dinner, we leave the table the way it was set in order to feed Mary, the Holy Mother.

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Anna-Maria , 9 years old

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Chocolate mousse
Products: 1 banana, 1 avocado, 2 strawberries, 2 spoons of peanuts, 2 spoons of cocoa, 100 grams of water- to become a cream.
Preparation: We put all products in blender to be like a mixture. If you want to add water and honey to taste. We fill the mousse into cups, garnish as desired and cool it in the fridge. There is a very light and delicate taste!

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Lidia , 9 years old

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Dry red pepper with beans

Products we need:
10 dry peppers,
1 tea cup dry beans,
1 head onion,
1 leek,
1 carrot,
1-2 table spoon tomato paste,
100 ml sunflower oil,
Salt, red pepper powder, mint, fenugreek.

Preparations
Boil beans to ready. Put pepper in a bowl with hot water. Cut onion, leek, and carrot to a small cubes. Fry onion, leek and carrot in hot sunflower oil until they soften. After that add previously boil beans and tomato paste.
Fill the soaked pepper with this vegetable mix. Put filled pepper in a tray and fill warm water.
Bake in oven to
C for a 30-40 minutes.
Bon appetite!

Christian , 9 years old

Soda Bread Recipe for Christmas Eve
 
The preparation of the Christmas Eve table is one of the most important rituals of the year!
Hello, my name is Kris and I will present the recipe for soda bread, which no Bulgarian table can be without on Christmas Eve. It takes a main place on the table and the festive dinner begins with the breaking of the bread.
It is made of flour, baking soda, salt, cooking oil and vinegar. All these are mixed together and turned into round dough, which is baked for thirty minutes. Many families also add decorations on top of their bread made of flour, salt and water. The most important part before baking is to add a silver coin inside.
Traditionally, the oldest family member breaks the finished soda bread and gives a piece to everyone in order of their age. The person who gets the piece of bread with the silver coin inside will have good fortune and happiness for the whole year. 

Zhanet, 9 years old

Kapama
Kapama is a typical Bulgarian dish that is most often prepared in the region of Bansko and Razlog. The key ingredients include sauerkraut and different types of meat such as chicken, pork, and rabbit, while rice and sausages can be added to the dish according to personal preferences.
Kapama should also be baked in an oven for at least four hours at low temperature, in a clay pot that is sealed with dough. It is recommended to add a small amount of red wine to the pot in order to get even more flavor out of the dish.

Lilly , 9 years old

Uliana , 10 years old

Feliz Navidad song

Lilly,10 years old

Koleduvane
After Christmas Eve dinner at about 12 o’clock another tradition takes place in Bulgaria – Koleduvane.
Koleduvane is a ritual, which happens at midnight on the 24th of December. After it is done, we know that Christmas is here and Jesus Christ was born. Only young and single men are allowed to take part in koleduvane. They gather in the house of the man leading the group all dressed up in special clothes. Once they are all together they start going from house to house singing Christmas carols.