General Information
Holidays, Festivals, Ceremonies and Carnivals
Traditional Calendar
The traditional holiday calendar of the Bulgarians is varied and complicated. The ancient culture on the Balkans has left its imprint on the calendar of the various holidays and ceremonies in Bulgaria. There are events and customs dating milleniums back, combining totemic, animistic pantheist and monist elements characteristic of Mediterranean Antiquity.
In a concise version the traditional holiday calendar of the Bulgarians would look like that:
JANUARY
· 1 - Sourvaki (St. Vassil’s Day)
· 6 - St. Yordan’s Day (Epiphany)
· 7 - St. Ivan’s Day (St. Yoan the Baptist)
· 8 - Grandmother’s Day (Midwife’s Day)
· 17 - St. Anton’s Day
· 18 - St. Atanas’s Day
· 20 - Rooster’s Day (Day of Fertility)
FEBRUARY
· 1 - St. Trifon’s Day (Trifon Zarezan)
· 2 - Candlemas
· 3 - St. Simon’s Day
· 10 - St. Haralampi’s Day
· 11 - Vlas’s Day (Shrove Day - always on Sundays, eight weeks before Easter)
· Shrovetide (the first Sunday before Lent) - always on Sundays, seven weeks before Easter
· St. Todor’s Day (Horse Easter) - on Saturdays after Shrovetide
(The last three holidays depend on Easter Day and are not fixed. For the next few years Easter will be celebrated as follows:
2002 - May 5
2003 - April 27
Easter is always on Sundays and is used to determine the days of the Christian holidays, which have no fixed dates.)
MARCH
· 1 - Granny Marta’s Day
· 9 - St. 40 Martyrs
· 25 - Annunciation
APRIL
· St. Lazar’s Day - always on Saturdays a week before Easter
· Palm Sunday - on Sunday a week before Easter
· Easter - look at above-mentioned dates
· Low Sunday - on Sunday after Easter
· Sofinden - on Monday after Low Sunday (Prayers for healthy cattle and against drought)
· 14 - St. Martin’s Day
MAY
· 1 - Prophet Yeremiah’s Day
· 6 - St. Georgi’s Day
· 12 - St. German’s Day (Prayers against hail)
· 21 - St. Konstantin and Elena’s Day
· St. Spas’ Day – always the 40th day after Easter
· Pentecost (Holy Trinity) – always the 50th day after Easter
· Roussalya (Holy Ghost) - the 51st day after Easter
JUNE
· 11 - St. Bartholomew’s Day
· 15 - Vidov Day (Prayers against hailstorms and other natural disasters)
· 24 - Enyo’s Day
· 29 - Peter’s Day (St. St. Apostles Peter and Pavel)
· 30 - Pavlyov’s Day (the Day of the 12 Apostles)
JULY
· 1 - St. Vrach
· 20 - St. Iliya’s Day
· 22 - St. Maria Magdalena’s Day
· 27 - St. Pantelei’s Day
AUGUST
· 1 - Makavei’s Day
· 6 - Holy Transfiguration
· 15 - Assumption
SEPTEMBER
· 1 - St. Simon’s Day (Start of the ecclesiastical year)
· 8 - Birth of the Holy Virgin
· 14 - Krustovden (Day of the Cross)
· 17 - Faith, Hope and Love (and St. Martyr Sofia’s Day)
OCTOBER
· 14 - St. Petko’s Day
· 19 - St. Yoan Rilski Thaumaturge
· 26 - St. Dimitur’s Day
· 27 - Mice Day (Prayers against the evil)
NOVEMBER
· 8 - Michaelmas
· 21 - Presentation of the Holy Virgin
· 23 - St. Alexander’s Day
· 30 - St. Andrei’s Day
DECEMBER
· 4 - Day of Martyr Varvara
· 5 - St. Sava’s Day
· 6 - St. Nikola’ s Day
· 20 - St. Martyr Ignat’s Day
· 24 - Christmas Eve
· 25 - Christmas
· 27 - St. Stefan’s Day
· 31 - New Year’s Eve
In a concise version the traditional holiday calendar of the Bulgarians would look like that:
JANUARY
· 1 - Sourvaki (St. Vassil’s Day)
· 6 - St. Yordan’s Day (Epiphany)
· 7 - St. Ivan’s Day (St. Yoan the Baptist)
· 8 - Grandmother’s Day (Midwife’s Day)
· 17 - St. Anton’s Day
· 18 - St. Atanas’s Day
· 20 - Rooster’s Day (Day of Fertility)
FEBRUARY
· 1 - St. Trifon’s Day (Trifon Zarezan)
· 2 - Candlemas
· 3 - St. Simon’s Day
· 10 - St. Haralampi’s Day
· 11 - Vlas’s Day (Shrove Day - always on Sundays, eight weeks before Easter)
· Shrovetide (the first Sunday before Lent) - always on Sundays, seven weeks before Easter
· St. Todor’s Day (Horse Easter) - on Saturdays after Shrovetide
(The last three holidays depend on Easter Day and are not fixed. For the next few years Easter will be celebrated as follows:
2002 - May 5
2003 - April 27
Easter is always on Sundays and is used to determine the days of the Christian holidays, which have no fixed dates.)
MARCH
· 1 - Granny Marta’s Day
· 9 - St. 40 Martyrs
· 25 - Annunciation
APRIL
· St. Lazar’s Day - always on Saturdays a week before Easter
· Palm Sunday - on Sunday a week before Easter
· Easter - look at above-mentioned dates
· Low Sunday - on Sunday after Easter
· Sofinden - on Monday after Low Sunday (Prayers for healthy cattle and against drought)
· 14 - St. Martin’s Day
MAY
· 1 - Prophet Yeremiah’s Day
· 6 - St. Georgi’s Day
· 12 - St. German’s Day (Prayers against hail)
· 21 - St. Konstantin and Elena’s Day
· St. Spas’ Day – always the 40th day after Easter
· Pentecost (Holy Trinity) – always the 50th day after Easter
· Roussalya (Holy Ghost) - the 51st day after Easter
JUNE
· 11 - St. Bartholomew’s Day
· 15 - Vidov Day (Prayers against hailstorms and other natural disasters)
· 24 - Enyo’s Day
· 29 - Peter’s Day (St. St. Apostles Peter and Pavel)
· 30 - Pavlyov’s Day (the Day of the 12 Apostles)
JULY
· 1 - St. Vrach
· 20 - St. Iliya’s Day
· 22 - St. Maria Magdalena’s Day
· 27 - St. Pantelei’s Day
AUGUST
· 1 - Makavei’s Day
· 6 - Holy Transfiguration
· 15 - Assumption
SEPTEMBER
· 1 - St. Simon’s Day (Start of the ecclesiastical year)
· 8 - Birth of the Holy Virgin
· 14 - Krustovden (Day of the Cross)
· 17 - Faith, Hope and Love (and St. Martyr Sofia’s Day)
OCTOBER
· 14 - St. Petko’s Day
· 19 - St. Yoan Rilski Thaumaturge
· 26 - St. Dimitur’s Day
· 27 - Mice Day (Prayers against the evil)
NOVEMBER
· 8 - Michaelmas
· 21 - Presentation of the Holy Virgin
· 23 - St. Alexander’s Day
· 30 - St. Andrei’s Day
DECEMBER
· 4 - Day of Martyr Varvara
· 5 - St. Sava’s Day
· 6 - St. Nikola’ s Day
· 20 - St. Martyr Ignat’s Day
· 24 - Christmas Eve
· 25 - Christmas
· 27 - St. Stefan’s Day
· 31 - New Year’s Eve
