-"Baba Marta" is a tradition in which it is customary that friends and family gift one another little red and white pins, often made of string, on March 1st and you are supposed to wear them on your clothes for at least that day. Baba Marta is a celebration of the end of a long, cold winter, and the start of a beautiful spring season; wearing the pins is also a sign of luck for the coming season.
-On March 8th it's the celebration of "Women's Day" and it's simply the day to appreciate women. In my family, my mom and I are usually just given flowers and have a nice dinner with the family. A lot of traditions in Bulgaria are meant to honor someone, such as Women's Day, Father's Day, Name Days, etc.
-All throughout the year, there are certain days dedicated to more common names in Bulgaria, like Evan or Petar. On name days, the person is often thrown a party and given gifts or money simply in honor of their name.
-During the Christmas season, there are plenty of traditions. Depending on religious affiliations, some people fast for 40 days before Christmas, but my family does not do that. However, all Bulgarians have a vegan Christmas Eve dinner in which there has to be 9 separate meals presented on the table. On Christmas day everyone can eat meat again, so we usually have pork chops or home-made sausages. (A quick side note, my family has 1-2 "sausage making days" a year in which we buy a lot of meat, and make a lot of home-made sausages in our kitchen.)
-Compared to American meals, Bulgarian meals last a long time. When we get together with other family members or good friends, meals often last hours and there are multiple courses and plenty of conversation. Also, drinking is a more appreciated thing in Bulgaria; if a shot is poured, it's not taken at once like we do here, it's common to savor the alcohol and take one's time drinking it. -On New Years there is a tradition called Sourovakvane. In this, kids take sticks and decorate them with just about anything in order to make them appear more festive. Then, at the New Year's party, the adults line up and the children go from adult to adult and tap them on the back with their stick while saying a short rhyme ("Sourova, sourova, vesala godeena, da ce jeef, da ce zdraf, da jevefsh do ameena") which is meant to grant the adults luck in their new year, and in return, the adults give the children money.
These traditions all seem strange compared to things celebrated in America, but I've grown up with all of these common practices.
I love the idea of taking a longer time to eat meals. I feel like family meal time is a great time for families to share their days so that each member has insight into all of the member's lives. It is also good to take more time to eat meals because it gives people a greater appreciation for the food. I think all of the Bulgarian traditions are really interesting and I would love to learn more about them, Alex :)
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