Bulgarians are survivors, valuing loyalty to one another and pride in their culture. They treasure their families, considering each other when making decisions and showing great respect to elders. They carry on many unique traditions. At weddings, guests fill the bride’s shoe with money and the bride and groom have a tug-of-war with a loaf of bread to see who will be the “boss.” During Easter week, they dye eggs red and smash them on the wall of the church, bury them in a field, and tap them together for good luck.

Friends and neighbors often drop by unannounced and planned visits may go on for hours, often until midnight. Guests greet each person at a gathering individually, starting with the eldest. Eating more food shows appreciation so they always leave room for seconds. Guests often bring gifts in odd numbers to the hostess (even numbers are unlucky).

Bulgarians take pride in their heritage which has survived foreign domination, but they are cautious about the future because of current economic struggles. Young people tend to look to the West as a model of development but older generations are guarded against foreign influence.

Bulgaria has several claims to fame on the international level. The country produces 50% of the rose oil in the entire world and the Cyrillic alphabet, the second most widely used alphabet, was created here.

Source: Bulgaria CultureGram 2009