April Holidays / Празници през април

        

Lazarus Saturday in the Eastern Orthodox Church is the day before Palm Sunday to which it is liturgically linked. It celebrates the raising of Lazarus of Bethany.

On the video you can see the traditional Bulgarian custom. Girls aged 10-16 dress festively and gather in small groups to walk around the village or neighborhood singing festive songs of health and a good yield.People give the girls present and wishes for prosperity. Only after performing that rite does the young girl have the right to marry. They are called lazarki and the rite is called Lazarouvane. 

Palm Sunday is held annually on the last Sunday before Easter and it is the people’s belief that this is the day of the fields, meadows and forests. In Bulgaria it’s called Tsvetnitsa or Vrabnitsa  А “holiday of flowers and trees”, rich in a variety of customs, songs and melodies. It celebrates the day of the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, when he was welcomed with palms and olive branches. Bulgarian Orthodox tradition uses more readily-available willow branches instead of palm ones, and people wind them into small crowns they put on the heads of the children for health and blessing. 

On this day in Bulgaria all those named after flowers, plants or trees celebrate their name day.

             

Easter traditions in Bulgaria are a derivative of the Eastern Orthodox Church rituals. As the Bulgarian name implies "Velikden" (Great Day), Easter starting with Palm Sunday, the holy week leads up to the Great Day. In tune with worldwide Orthodox traditions, bright red colored eggs and Easter breads known as "kozunak" are the prominent symbols of Easter in Bulgaria. This bread is taken to church on Saturday evening. 

The Bulgarian good luck crack is a unique Easter tradition in Bulgaria. Eggs are cracked after the midnight service and over the next few days. People take turns in tapping their eggs against the eggs of others, and the person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.

These texts don’t claim to be comprehensive, they should help readers.

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