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Deultum: roman town on the outskirts of Burgas
Situated about 17 km west of Burgas was the city of Deultum or, to use its full name, Colonia Flavia Pacis Deultensium. Its ruins lie by the modern village of Debelt. Deultum was a Roman creation. It appeared during the reign of Emperor Vespasian (69-79) as […]
Enyovden
Enyovden is one of Bulgaria’s most celebrated national holidays, along with Easter, Christmas, and St. George’s Day. It takes place on 24th June and coincides with St. John Baptist’s Day. It is both a religious feast and a traditional folk ritual. The celebrations of this day […]
Zadushnitsa
When one of the three major holidays for remembering the dead rolls around, Bulgarians are transformed – from unapologetic atheists and lazy Eastern Orthodox believers to outright pagans. Bulgarian celebrations of the major All Souls’ Days – the Saturdays before the feast of Archangel Michael, Lent, […]
The red church
Leaving aside St Sofia in the capital and what has remained of the metropolitan church in Nesebar, traces from the early Byzantine era in Bulgaria are scarce and little known. They do exist, however: forgotten remnants of the time when the Eastern Roman Empire was trying […]
Bulgarian roses
The oil-bearing rose is a delicate plant that feels well only at a single, restricted territory: the Valley of Roses, the strip of land between the Stara Planina and the Sredna Gora mountain ranges around Kazanlak, Karlovo, Sopot, and a couple of other towns. Only here […]
Piece of Black Sea heaven
Situated about 2 km from the nondescript village of Kamen Bryag, Yaylata is a rocky plateau that covers 74 acres and rises to up to 60 meters above the Black Sea. If you are not aware of Yaylata’s existence, it is easy to overlook it while […]
Walking on fire
The unusual, almost Native American-like drum rhythm and the bagpipe tunes echo over the silent crowd, gathered around a large circle of live embers glowing into the night. All eyes are on a tiny group of barefoot men and women in traditional clothes, who dance slowly […]
Who were Cyril and Methodius? – Part 2
At that time, the Bulgarian nation was still being formed from the amalgamation of pagan Bulgarians, who mostly controlled the government, a Slav majority, and what had remained of the ancient Thracians. In 863, Prince Boris I adopted Eastern-rite Christianity as a means to unite the […]
Who were Cyril and Methodius? – Part 1
The image of two men, one young and sporting a dark beard and the other older and white-bearded, with books and parchments in their hands, are to be found all over Bulgaria. There are countless statues and posters, church murals, and icons. Their images multiply on […]
