On Christmas Eve we eat only vegan dishes (just like during the fasts) and they have to be an odd number. Various healing herbs are used for seasoning in many traditional dishes. Since me and my Bulgarian man lives in Sweden and this is no doubt the darkest time and all Scandinavians long for the sun and light now it felt natural to decorate the bread with a sun. We prepare delicious things like stuffed peppers with rice or beans, grape leaves stuffed with rise, pumpkin dishes and traditional bread. Bulgarian haricot stew dish. I decorated the bread with a sun. Oct 26, 2013 - Bulgarian recipes. New years Eve Meze with pitka, salami, sirene and lutenitsa. Christmas festivities and celebrations in Bulgaria begin on December 24th – Christmas Eve. Like elsewhere in the world the main focus of the winter holidays is around Christmas and the New Year, although traditional customs vary. Christmas Bread and New Year’s Eve banitsa Christmas bread. These nuts are cracked in order to predict success or failure for the coming year. Christmas carols echo round Bulgarian villages on Christmas Eve, with groups of male carol-singers (koledari) beginning their tour of the neighborhood at midnight. These amazing sweet cookies are considered one of the best desserts in Bulgaria. I had the joy of celebrating my first Christmas with my wonderful host family! Bulgarian Legend also has it that Mary was in labor from Dec. 20th until the birth of Christ. My boyfriend is devastated so I am planning on trying to bring Bulgaria to him. Some dishes are prepared for specific Bulgarian holidays – Christmas Eve, Easter, St. George’s Day and St. Nicholas Day. Bulgarian Christmas Eve Honey Bread This traditional Bulgarian Christmas Eve Honey Bread is made to celebrate abundance in the coming year. Traditionally Christmas Eve (Badni Vecher) dinner in Bulgaria would be vegetarian marking the end of a 40 day fast. In England and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey or goose, meat, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread and cider. Traditional Bulgarian food, haricot beans stew on table. Bulgarian Christmas Day Customs. Bulgarian culture has a very rich history and Bulgarians in general hold on tightly to their traditions. Christmas Eve in Bulgaria is celebrated in a traditional fashion with an odd number of guests who dine on a vegetarian meal consisting of an odd number of dishes, which follows the 40 day Advent fast. Almost all Bulgarian dishes include parsley. So for many Bulgarians, December 24 is more important than December 25. Some regions, such as Sicily, have special meals for Christmas Eve, when 12 kinds of fish are served. Bulgarians are denominated as Greek Orthodox Christians, so we celebrate Christmas Eve on December 24 th. The dishes have symbolic meanings centering around fertility and abundance: Bobena Chorba (bean or lentil soup), so the coming year will be fertile, abundant, and wealthy The reason is a legend which says that Mary started giving birth to Jesus on that day, but the labor lasted for four more days until Christmas Eve. See more ideas about bulgarian recipes, recipes, bulgarian. Get the recipe from Seasons and Suppers. Your Bulgarian Christmas stock images are ready. Bulgarian recipes are simple and often use fresh produces, as well as strong spices such as hot pepper, black pepper and paprika. In Bulgarian culture, there is a central belief that the Virgin Mary actually gave birth to Christ on Christmas Eve, but only announced his birth the day after on Christmas Day. Christmas is filled with tradition across the board among all cultures, but Bulgarian Orthodox hold many very distinctly different traditions. Boiled pumpkin and other food. Here are three traditional recipes that we usually cook every year for Christmas Eve: Stuffed Peppers with Rice Find Homemade Christmas Bread Bulgarian Christmas Eve stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Another special aspect of the Bulgarian Christmas Eve meal is a round loaf of bread that has a coin baked inside. Dec 18, 2012 - Explore Tandoori's photos on Flickr. Herbs and Spices in bulgarian cuisine . The bread usually contains fortunes, which will reveal what the next year holds for each member of the family. Bulgarian Christmas Eve Bread Tradition. Although the real Christmas in Bulgaria is officially on December 25th, December 20th “Ignazhden” (the day on which Saint Ignatius is honored) is also a traditional holiday in Bulgarian culture. Christmas eve and Christmas day are two occasions that offer especially glamorous views into the Bulgarian holiday trapeza. If you ever decide to visit Bulgaria, make sure you try this traditional pumpkin-filled dessert. Photo credit: Ladislav Tsvetkov. Christmas in Bulgaria SOU Zheleznik Stara Zagora Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. As you will see in one of the next paragraphs, Bulgarians have many traditional holiday meals. I hope you all had an amazing New year night and a good first day of the new year of 2016! Walnuts, in particular, are found on the Bulgarian Christmas Eve table. However, two of them are much than just food on the table – the Christmas bread and the banitsa on New Year’s Eve. From left to right: Pickles, bean salad, roast pepper salad, dolmades, “Snejanka” salad, “pitka” bread, pickled hot peppers, stuffed peppers, pickled cabbage salad. On arrival at each house, the carol singers perform a carol for the host, recite a prayer, knock back a glass or two of wine, the stick specially-baked loaves on the end of their crooks. Of course, every home has different ways and traditions may change over time, but for the sake of example I will draw on my family’s tradition, which, I recently learned, hasn’t changed much since the time of my grandmother’s grandmother. Download all free or royalty-free photos and vectors. (In contrast, other Orthodox countries like Russia, Georgia, Ukraine*, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia follow the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church and celebrate Christmas Eve on January 6 th and Christmas on Jan 7 th).). A traditional Bulgarian Christmas Eve Honey Bread, topped with honey are decorated to celebrate abundance in the coming year. Tostadas Bulgarian Recipes Bulgarian Food Easter Bread Recipe Sweet Bread Bread Baking Baking Recipes Bread Recipes Good Food. Tandoori has uploaded 14830 photos to Flickr. Traditional Bulgarian Christmas Eve boiled pumkin and other feast food . Bulgaria's Christmas Eve is celebrated with a meal consisting of an odd number of dishes which follows the forty-day Advent fast. 2. It is characterized by rich traditions and intricate rituals. Bread in Bulgaria But there is above all something that has a prominent place: bread! In addition there is a rich assortment of traditional holidays in the months of December, January and February that offer an insight to Bulgarian customs and superstitions. These include basil, thyme, oregano and spearmint. Herbs have a prominent place in Bulgarian cuisine. This custom says that the person who finds the coin will be rewarded with good fortune. For Bulgarians, this is the most important celebration out of the three days of Christmas. Bulgarian cuisine (Bulgarian: българска кухня, romanized: bǎlgarska kuhnja) is a representative of the cuisine of Southeast Europe.It shares characteristics with other Balkan cuisines.Bulgarian cooking traditions are diverse because of geographical factors such as climatic conditions suitable for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruit. People around Bulgaria are honoring with their families Christmas traditions celebrating Christmas Eve Saturday night. BULGARIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER TABLE . Dec. 20th is the Day of St. Ignat, or Ignazhden, in Bulgaria. Both of them are connected to entire rituals, which determine the fortune of everyone around the table. Traditional Bulgarian Christmas Eve boiled pumkin and other feast food. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. Carol singers, or as they are called in Bulgarian “koledari”, start visiting around. Christmas Eve festive table – the Bulgarian way! Dec 20, 2013 - A traditional Bulgarian Christmas Eve Honey Bread, topped with honey are decorated to celebrate abundance in the coming year. My boyfriend (Bulgarian) and I were planning to fly to his home for Christmas in 3 days, and we've just found out that Bulgaria is no longer accepting flights from the UK. Yet the birth wasn’t announced until the 25th. This vegetarian meal includes grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Kurabiiki. Tikvenik (after baking) is usually covered with powdered sugar. Customarily an odd number of meals will be prepared. Only young boys are allowed to participate in the caroling. Traditional Bulgarian Christmas Pita Bread. Bulgarian Christmas Eve. This delicious Bulgarian dish is most commonly served during the Christmas Eve dinner. This rich meal, which encourages abundance in the coming year, includes grains and vegetables such as stuffed peppers, fruits and nuts. 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