Holly Week In Bulgaria

How Bulgarian people celebrate Easter


Lazarovden(Lazar's Saturday)



Lazarovden is celebrated on the last Saturday before Easter. There are two main elements of the holiday -the tradition called lazaruvane and rituals for the dead.
Lasses and girls take part in the lazaruvane.They start preparing before
the fast starts and make groups according to their age. There are singers in the groups and one of the girls carries an egg-basket. The only gift that the girls get are white eggs.
On Saturday afternoon and on Sunday before noon the girls go around the houses , enter in and sing songs to each family member. The Lass is the most beautiful girl.
The rituals for the dead . It is believed that on Saturday before Vrubnica
(Palm Sunday) all the dead people come out of their graves and expect their relatives bring them something. That is why there is a ritual called Lazarska zadushnica on Saturday ,when everyone gives away food and say that is for the dead.


Vrubnica(Tcvetnica)



Vrubnica is a big church holiday.Everybody goes to an official service where they take a sacrificed branch of willow tree.
If anyone from the family goes ill they set that willow branch on fire and cense the ill man with it.
All the women,men and children with flower or tree names celebrate on this day.

The Passion Week

The first days- Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday are said to be cleaning the house ,washing . On Wednesday women are not allowed to weave, spin or sew.

The Great Thursday



On the Great Thursday women paint the eggs. The first one is always painted in red. The cheeks of the children are rubbed with it for the children to be healthy and red-cheeked. This red egg is left in front of the icon and stays day for rest of the year.
This day is celebrated as a protection from the hail and that is women do not work and men do not reap.
In the churches the clergymen take cross out of the altar as a symbol of the cross Christ carried to Golgotha.


The Great Friday



At the morning of the Great Friday Christ has been crucified. This day is also called the Crucified Friday.
Circles around the temple are made and cloak is carried along. After that the funeral of Christ is performed symbolically.
The hostesses prepare kozunak (Easter cake) and other Easter cookies on this day.

The Great Sunday
Easter is celebrated in three successive days.
The first one is always a Sunday when everyone goes to the official church service. The candle that is carried throughout the service should be carried home while is still burning. Everybody fight with the painted eggs by crash them one against the other. The person whose egg is the strongest will be the healthiest one during the year.
The other two days all people visit their relatives and celebrate together.
The greeting “Christ resurrected” ( “Christos Vozkrese”-the answer is “Voistina Vozkrese”, on Bulgarian) is used for 40 days.



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