April 9, 2015
You can find “Who let the dogs out, aka hitting the clubs in Plovdiv” – Part I here. In the previous post we mentioned a few of the new and old gems of the Plovdiv club scene. We are going to pick up from where we stopped and offer you a few more options to explore while you are in Europe’s oldest living city (which has stayed that way because of its party people). Hitting the clubs in Plovdiv: Vintage House Location: 15 Gladstone st. You think your Bulgarian is good enough – try going to the local theatre. And if that’s not exactly your cup of tea, try a glass of whiskey instead in Plovdiv’s newest bar, which just happens to be inside the building of the theatre. Who knows, after a shot or two, you might feel ready to take over the floor and put up a show. HItting the clubs in Plovdiv: Kotka i Mishka – Cat and Mouse Location: 14 Hristo Dyukmedzhiev st. We are happy […]
April 3, 2015
Over the past few years we have witnessed a rapid uprise of Plovdiv’s cultural life and the clubs have been on top of that tide. Considered to be alternative at first, they have now become the norm as more and more people get mesmerized by their charm and comfort. These are just a few that are a must if you want to see how the Plovdiv people take the pressure off. Clubs in Plovdiv: BASQUIAT Wine & Art Location: Bratya Pulievi st. The newest addition to one of Plovdiv’s most landmark neighbourhoods – the Trap, this bar quickly gained momentum as it harnessed people’s love for wine, cosiness and art. It’s a bar in the night and a comfortable café during the day. And to add to its awesomeness, Basquiat hosts comedy plays, lectures and small gigs, which is a combination not seen before in a Plovdiv bar. Clubs in Plovdiv: Rorschach’s inkblot – Petnoto Location: 36 Yoakim Gruev st. This club started out as a very unpretentious place for […]
March 22, 2015
The wedding ceremony The wedding is not only an institutional union between two people, but also building a relationship between a woman and a man in love with each other. In Bulgaria the traditional wedding continues up to a whole day. (What an exhausting event!) The wedding begins with ‘taking’ the bride from her home. This moment is usually connected with the custom of ‘looking for’ the bride’s shoe. When the groom finally manages to find it, he is made to put some money (not coins, of course) in order to make the shoe the right size for his beloved. The ‘visit’ at the girl’s house ends up with a traditional Bulgarian dance – horo. Horo is a common dance It is widely spread on the Balkans, in which people arrange either in a line, or in a circle. The next destinations are the ritual home and the church. In our country the civil marriage is the only legitimate form in the Bulgarian Family Law. In order to be legal, […]
March 4, 2015
If you walk around any little Bulgarian town or village on the 1st of March, you will notice all people are wearing red-and-white yarn decorations called martenitsa. Sometimes they are bracelets, sometimes they are small ornaments, pinned to a blouse or jacket. This is our way to celebrate a beloved spring tradition, called Baba Marta. Baba Marta is a traditional Bulgarian holiday celebrated on the 1st of March So, why March, you may ask? Bulgarians believe that the first day of this month marks the beginning of spring. At the same time, March is famous for its constantly changing weather – one day it is cold and rains, the next – it is a warm, sunny day. The name “Baba Marta” translated to English means “Grandma March” because people in these lands believe that the weather is due to the elderly lady’s fickle mood: whenever she is happy, the weather is good. And when she is angry – it rains. The origin of the Martenitsa The tradition dates back to […]