Christmas and New Year’s Eve traditions in Bulgaria

Family dinners, gifts, and lots of snow. These are what Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations are usually associated with. But just like every other nation, we Bulgarians have some specific Christmas and New Year’s Eve traditions. Here’s a deeper look into a few of the most popular ones!

Christmas Bread and New Year’s Eve Banitsa

Christmas Bread

As you will see in the following paragraphs, Bulgarians have many traditional holiday dishes. However, two of them are much more than just food on the table – Christmas bread and New Year’s Eve banitsa. Both are connected to entire rituals that are believed to determine the fortune of everyone around the table.

Perhaps the most anticipated moment during Christmas Eve dinner is the breaking of the specially decorated Christmas bread. Not only because it’s delicious, but also because there is a treasure hidden inside. Every year, the matriarch of the family places a coin wrapped in tin foil inside the dough. It is believed that whoever finds the coin in their piece of bread will have fortune and wealth throughout the coming year. Be careful when taking large bites, though — otherwise, you might end up breaking a tooth or two!

New Year’s Eve Banitsa

A similar ritual takes place on New Year’s Eve. One of the obligatory dishes for this holiday is banitsa. It is a typical Bulgarian filo pastry with eggs and cheese, and it is absolutely delicious! What makes it special, however, is that on New Year’s Eve every slice of banitsa contains a small lucky charm written on a piece of paper (similar to a fortune cookie).

These charms usually include funny rhymes and are said to predict what will happen to the person during the coming year. Whether it’s something ordinary like robust health or a new car, or something more unusual — such as winning the lottery, getting married, or having a baby — these charms are often the source of much laughter around the dinner table.

Koledari and Survakari

The traditions of koledari and survakari date back centuries and are an integral part of Bulgarian folklore. Nevertheless, they can still be observed today, especially in smaller towns and villages.

Koledari

The koledari are something like the Bulgarian folk version of carol singers. According to tradition, young men dress in traditional Bulgarian clothing and gather in the town center at midnight on Christmas Eve. During the rest of the night, they visit houses and sing Christmas songs for the owners as a ritual for good fortune. In return, the hosts reward them with Christmas bread and wine.

Survakari

A similar tradition, known as survakane, takes place on New Year’s Eve. In this case, however, the participants are children rather than young men. It can therefore be compared to the Western tradition of “trick or treat” on Halloween.

On the night of December 31st, children known as survakari visit houses in the neighborhood. Each child carries a specially decorated dogwood branch called a survachka. Once invited inside, the children gently tap the hosts on the back with the branch while singing songs and reciting rhymes. It is believed that receiving such a “beating” brings robust health throughout the year.

Afterwards, the children receive money and sweets from the hosts. What is specific to both traditions is that they take place outdoors at night during winter, so all participants should be well equipped with warm clothing!

A Meal for Christmas

There are a number of traditional Christmas Eve dishes in Bulgaria. Unlike in many other countries, Bulgarian tradition dictates that no meat or animal products be served on the table on December 24th. This, of course, limits the options somewhat.

Typical Christmas Eve dishes include Christmas bread, bean or pea pottage, rice with vegetables, roasted potatoes, pumpkin, walnuts, dried fruits, and salads. It is obligatory to have an odd number of dishes on the table — usually 7, 9, or 11.

This does not mean, however, that the Christmas holidays are entirely meatless. Meat is served during Christmas lunch on December 25th, which is almost as important as the Christmas Eve dinner. Traditionally, pork is eaten, as in the past it was customary to slaughter a pig early in the morning. Nowadays, most people prefer to avoid this bloody business and buy meat from the supermarket instead. 🙂

Warm Fireplace

No Christmas Eve is complete without the warm glow of embers in the fireplace. While most people today live in apartments with modern heating systems, those who wish to experience Christmas in a truly traditional way often celebrate in a cozy village house — preferably somewhere in the mountains.

If you choose such a celebration, there is one very important tradition to keep in mind. Before the festive dinner on Christmas Eve, the fireplace should be loaded with the so-called badnik.

The badnik is a large log, usually oak or elm. It must be big enough to burn throughout the entire night until Christmas morning. According to tradition, it should then be extinguished by pouring wine over it. The ashes from the badnik are not thrown away, but instead spread around the garden to bring fortune and prosperity to the household.

These are just some of the Christmas and New Year’s Eve customs in Bulgaria. If you happen to spend these holidays with Bulgarian friends, you will most likely experience some of these traditions, as we are very fond of them and consider them an essential part of cozy and heartwarming winter celebrations.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Free Plovdiv Tour Team!