BULGARIAN TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS – NEW YEAR’S EVE

New Year's Eve is considered as one of the prominent times of the year. Everyone walks with a smile on their faces, enthusiastic and excited for the upcoming celebration. A great part of people choose to celebrate away from home, near the sea or up in the mountain, also in all types of party places. Others prefer to gather friends and family at home and to welcome the New Year in coziness.

Different cultural an sports event are also being held at this time of year – there are many music concerts, carnivals, processions, bazaars, etc.
As for the traditional celebration of the New Year, it requires special dishes, amongst which different meat meals, lots of sweets, and a special banitza with white cheese, in which fortunes for the New Year are tucked. The banitza is specially made for the number of people that will gather around the table, plus one more, which is for Holy Mary. At midnight, right after the clock shows 12, after the New Year toast, the banitza is cut to pieces and everyone checks their fortune. Amongst the other dishes served on the table that night, there is also wheat, dried and fresh fruits, walnuts and other, which are kept until Ivanovden (January 7th).

One of the most common New Year customs is the so called "survakane". Children, gathered in a group, walk around relatives' and neighbours' homes with a special "survachka" (a tree branch) decorated with popcorn and dried fruits strings, pennies, colourful wool threads, ring-shaped buns. They start first with the eldest member of the family they are visiting and wish blessings to all the family. In return, the hosts give them some money, walnuts, dried fruits and small presents.

Have a peaceful and a happy New Year! May it be beautiful as the spring, warm as the summer, rich as the autumn and strong-willed as the winter!

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