Bulgaria is a country with an actively developing tourism industry, which is currently on the rise. Basically, the tourist flow to Bulgaria is formed by such countries as Russia, Germany, Ukraine, Great Britain, as well as other states of Scandinavia, Eastern and Western Europe.

Language and gestures

If thirty years ago, the bulk of the Bulgarian population as a whole knew Russian well, then the current generation of young Bulgarians serving the tourist flow, as a rule, does not speak Russian, therefore, when going on vacation to this country, it will be useful to know at least the most used phrases in order not to communicate with the local population and staff of hotels and inns “on the fingers”.

The Bulgarian language is quite close to Russian, but nevertheless it differs to a large extent from it, and sometimes this can cause some difficulties when explaining the road to a particular attraction, because, for example, in Bulgarian “right” means “straight”.

The most famous cultural features of Bulgaria include, for example, the expression of agreement in the form of head nods to the right and left, and the expression of denial – up and down. But at present, as a rule, this phenomenon is observed far from the places chosen by tourists. To avoid misunderstandings associated with this Bulgarian feature, an attentive attitude to the speech of the interlocutor will help, since “yes” – and in Bulgaria means “yes”, and “no” means “no”.

Religion

According to Countryaah, Bulgaria can be attributed to the states in which representatives of various religions coexist side by side, however, most of the Bulgarian believers profess Orthodoxy. For many centuries, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has largely shaped the culture and national characteristics of the country, it is ruled by a patriarch, and church services are still held in the Bulgarian language.

Holidays

National Bulgarian holidays:

January 1 – New Year in Bulgaria, St. Basil’s Day

March 3 – Day of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke

May 1 – Labor Day

May 6 – Day of Courage, Day of the Bulgarian Army, St. George’s Day

June 2 – Day of Botev and those who died for the freedom of Bulgaria

September 6 – Day of the Unification of Bulgaria

September 22 – Independence Day of Bulgaria

December 24 – Christmas Eve

December 25 – Christmas

According to the national tradition, Bulgarians celebrate solemn events in nature, and the role of the festive table is played by wide tablecloths in bright colors, spread out right on the grass. Bulgarian cuisine is served, usually meat and vegetable. Check agooddir for recent history of Bulgaria.

After the meal, wrestling competitions (which are a traditional Bulgarian sport) are organized among men, where a live ram acts as a prize, and after sunset, songs and dances around the fires are arranged, lasting until the morning.