Bulgarian Eeaster

Day 4,177, 00:28 • Published in Ireland Bulgaria • by DonBobolino

Bulgarians are Orthodox Christians, and Easter here is usually during a different time than the rest of the world.

So Today we are celebrating and now let me walk you through the traditions.



Although some western companies started selling chocolate eggs lately, I doubt we, Bulgarians, will buy into this any time soon. This is simply because coloring the eggs is the time families get together and have lots and lots of fun! According to the Bible, Jesus was captured on Thursday during prayer and this is traditionally the day to color the eggs.

Before coloring the eggs you need to hard boil them first. Then take the egg paint and dissolve it in as much water as the packaging says before putting the eggs inside. Some Bulgarians add a tablespoon of vinegar, so the shell absorbs the color better.

The first egg you take out of the paint should be the red one. Before it dries up you make small cross signs with it, first on the forehead, and then on the cheeks of the children in the family, and then on each family member. The first egg should be kept next to the icon of St. Mary in the house until next year. When the following Easter comes you break last year’s egg to see it’s color: if it’s white, your family will be blessed with a beautiful year ahead. If the inside of the egg has darkened, you should be more cautious.



Round and round the church

On Saturday evening at 12 o’clock every church in Bulgaria serves an Easter Mass. Have a candle with you and go to the church of your choice at midnight. At 12 o’clock exactly the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then he goes out of the church carrying a lit candle. You should wait for your turn and light your candle from this fire. Then the priest leads the people who go around the church 3 times. During this walk you are supposed to make sure your candle is lit at all times and then take the candle safely home.

The Easter Greeting in Bulgaria

This is an important one. After Saturday night every Bulgarian you meet will greet you with “Христос возкресе” [christos vozkrese] and your response is “Воистина возкресе” [voistina vozkrese]. In English all that means "Christ is risen" and "He has indeed risen".



The egg fight!

On Sunday morning the official egg fight begins. Now don’t imagine people will be throwing eggs at you – westerners may think we’re barbarians, but this is far from true. Egg fighting is what you see on the picture above: one holds an egg and the other person knocks it with his own. The ultimate goal is to have the “winner” egg, but of course it is all about the fun! And if you lose and your egg cracks – you get to eat is. Basically, everyone is a winner!