Welcome to Bulgaria - The Ultimate Guide To Bulgaria
Bulgarian information site - organized by categories and by regions.
Artists, actors, circus performers, writers and singers flock to Kazanluk at the start of June. As it was said by the Master of this doctrine, Petar Dunov, the Rila mountain is one of the biggest spiritual academies in the world; a sacred place for the ones, who search the rising up of the spirit and healing the soul and the body. At a height of 23 meters the figure of a horseman has been hewn into the sheer rock, piercing a lion with his spear, and flanked on both sides by inscriptions reflecting the military and political power of the First Bulgarian Empire. Bulgaria is a motherland of Slav culture, the land of Orpheus and Spartacus. Bulgaria is an example of magnificent nature – climate with four seasons, sea, high mountains, forests and all that in one with ancient historical sites and wonderful resorts. Bulgaria is noted for not having ever changed its name through the ages. Bulgarian is the only official language, but other languages such as Turkish and Romany , are spoken corresponding closely to ethnic breakdown. Bulgarian land is the cradle of civilization, existed 7- 8 thousand years ago. Delicious dishes, that you must try and enjoy; Bulgarian fruits and vegetables are grown up with so much sun and love, in the rich Bulgarian soil and four seasons – climate. Every participant makes his own multi-coloured personal mask, covered with beads, bells, ribbons and woollen tassels. Experts are still trying to explain the incredible range of the Bulgarian voice and the variety of songs. Experts claim that Bulgarian roses and rose oil owe their unique properties to the local climate and the generous soil. In a talented and realistic way the artist has conveyed both the rites of a bural feast, as well as the inner state of the figures. In addition, the Varna Necropolis , a 3200-3000 BC burial site, contains what are believed to be the oldest examples of worked gold in the world. In the run-up of the event, a Queen Rose beauty contest is held in several rounds. Many thousand visitors from Bulgaria and abroad came together to witness the show by the hundreds performers on each festival. Monumental in design and execution, the Madara Horseman is a magnificent message from the early Middle Ages. Of the remaining 2.0%, 0.9% are distributed among some forty smaller minorities, the most numerous of which are the Russians , Armenians , Vlachs , Jews , Crimean Tatars and Karakachans . Other religious denominations include Islam (12.2%), various Protestant denominations (0.7%), Roman Catholicism (0.5%), with other denominations, atheists and undeclared numbering ca. So is the cinnamon-forest soil in the area and, last but not least, the remarkable skills of the Bulgarian rose-oil producers. Some of the costumes are inheritance from great grandparents – this is the way the tradition lives on and on, connecting the old times with the contemporaneity. The blossoms are picked in May and June, when high humidity is very important. The Bulgarian oleaginous rose yields 70 percent of the world's attar of roses used by every perfume company as an essential component of its products. The heavy swaying of the main mummer is meant to represent wheat heavy with grain, so this custom is also dedicated to the fertility, inviting a year of wealth. The people who have not declared their ethnicity are 1.1% of the total population. The Samovodene Market in Veliko Turnovo, the Permanent National Exhibition of Folk Art in Oreshak near Troyan and the Etura architectural and ethnographic complex near Gabrovo are all original museums of the revived beauty of Bulgarian handicrafts. The temperatures in February, when roses bud, are ideal. The world is discovering it again and again at major folklore and song contests in Italy, France, England and Ireland from which the Bulgarian music and dance ensembles invariably walk off with the first prizes. There are specific dance that the participants play, making big noise with bells tied around the waist, to expel the evil spirits and the sickness. There is a big interest in Bulgarian folklore in US, Australia and Japan, there are many foreign people, who like to learn it and to perform. They came to see and to learn these inspiring events and the curious world of Bulgarian folklore traditions. This religious and mystical ritual for expelling illness, for health and fruitfulness is one that must be seen to believe it. This symbol of Bulgarian statesmanship is the only one of its kind in the whole of Europe. Today, the country is an active member of NATO , and is also due to join the European Union on January 1 , 2007 . When the Christianity entered in the Bulgarian culture, this dance has been transformed – dedicated to Christian saints; the dancers began to perform it, holding in hands an icon. You are bound to find your own particular memento from Bulgaria here - a small carved wooden wine vessel, a Troyan pottery set, a fleecy Rhodope rug, an original piece of silver jewellery, a finely embroidered silk blouse or a colourful carpet. You have to see and experience Bulgarian folklore dances, mystical voices, and colored costumes!