Thanks to my parents, who chose my name, I have two big celebrations each year. My name day and my birthday. Yes, in Bulgaria we celebrate name day and you don’t need invitation for this party. Everyone is welcome. The person who celebrates pays the bill. 🙂 If you translate Tsvetelina – Tsvete means flower in Bulgarian and the last Sunday before Easter Bulgaria celebrates the Palm Sunday = Цветница (Tsvetnitsa). Everyone with a name of a flower or a tree celebrates on this day his name day. The girls wear flowers wreaths. According to the tradition you go to church and you bring home a willow branch, which you keep until next Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday

Тhis is my favorite period of the year, not only because it is spring and everything is green, but also in one week I celebrate my name day (24.04. Palm Sunday) and my birthday (01.05 – The Labour day and Easter this year). The nature woke up after the winter and painted the most picturesque landscapes, worth taking picture of. The perfect season to travel in Bulgaria and this is how I will celebrate.

For everybody who loves to travel in Bulgaria and hasn’t chosen where to go, here are my tips:

1) Lazarus Saturday (23.04)

On this day we have a Bulgarian tradition called Lazaruvane. The young ladies, called lazarki, early in the morning pick flowers to make wreaths for Palm Sunday (the next day). They are dressed in traditional Bulgarian costumes. The ladies visit the houses in the village, sing Lazarus songs and bless for health, happiness and prosperity. The owner of the house gives them as gift eggs, money, fruits and small gifts. The eggs are painted later for Easter. In the past on Lazarus day the young men in the village proposed to their beloved one. I will join the celebration in Koprivshtitsa and I record it for you.

2) Orlin Pavlov acoustic live in Sofia Live Club

If you are this weekend in Sofia and you don’t have plans for Saturday night, you can join the party in Sofia Live Club. Orlin Pavlov together with friends, the musicians (Borislav Boyadzhiev, Angel Dulgerov and Stephan Love) will take care of your good mood and will recharge you with positive energy. On 23.04. Orlin has a birthday, the cake is from him, the smiles and the dancing from you. If you want to celebrate your name day and you are in Sofia, put on your dancing shoes and just join the party. Tickets you can find here. I wish him to be healthy, to have a free spirit, inspiration for new projects and to travel the world with his music!

3) Bulgarian railway organizes retro journey

This year Bulgarian railway organizes retro journey. Leave your cars in Sofia and get on a train to the Cherepish monastery. The attraction is the most powerful locomotive in Bulgaria – Baba Metsa, which will lead the composition of four wagons along the route Sofia – Cherepish – Sofia. Enjoy the beautiful nature along the Iskar gorge and celebrate the holidays in the nature. The program you will find here.

4) Chiprovtsi’ carpets festival

On 30.04. the Festival of the Chiprovtsi carpets will take place in Chiprovtsi.  If you want to meet the Bulgarian tradition and craft, you can travel to Northwestern Bulgaria and take great photos of this colorful festival. You can combine your trip with a visit to Belogradchik and the incredible nature phenomenon: the Belogradchik rocks.

5) Wine tour in Bulgaria

You don’t need a special occasion and reason to join a wine tour in Bulgaria. You can always visit one of the many boutique Bulgarian wineries and taste the local wines. My last offer for all wine lovers is to visit Villa Yustina winery nearby Plovdiv. Enjoy a one-day tour to the region of the Bulgarian Tuscany, located at foot of Rhodope Mountains. Here you can watch the video from my visit there:

And it doesn’t matter where you will celebrate and which option you will go for, just have fun with the people you love. Cheers! Betty

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