🇧🇬 Wedding traditions of Bulgaria
7 traditions from Bulgaria, best known first, across 3 cities and towns.
A wedding in Bulgaria, stage by stage
The customs written up so far, in the order a wedding unfolds.
| The weeks before | Bread and salt, Călușari, Anastenaria |
|---|---|
| The eve | Anastenaria |
| The ceremony | Bulgarian wedding music, Korovai, Anastenaria |
| The wedding feast | Hora |
| Reception, dance and gifts | Csárdás, Bread and salt, Bulgarian wedding music, Korovai, Hora, Călușari |
Cities, towns and villages of Bulgaria
🇭🇺 Hungary and 5 moreCsárdás
A Hungarian folk dance that begins slowly and ends with a fast spin.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreBulgarian wedding musicсватбарска музика
Fast-paced instrumental music played at Bulgarian weddings that blends folk, Romani, and Turkish styles.Performance · The ceremony
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreKorovaiкоровай (Ukrainian), каравай (Russian), кравай (Bulgarian)
A large round braided bread shared at weddings to bless the couple and unite the community.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇷🇴 Romania and 7 moreHorahora (Romanian), horo (Bulgarian), oro (Macedonian), horah (Hebrew)
A circle dance held at weddings across Southeast Europe and among Jewish communities worldwide.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreCălușariCălușarii
A traditional Romanian spring dance and male society known for acrobatic leaps and ritual healing.Performance · The weeks before
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreAnastenariaΑναστενάρια (Greek), Нестинарство (Bulgarian)
A barefoot firewalking ritual performed by Orthodox Christian communities in Greece and Bulgaria.Rite · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Korovai: Olli Niemitalo, CC0, source
- Csárdás: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Hora: Chajeshukarie ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Anastenaria: Artkostov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Călușari: El bes, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bulgarian wedding music: Allen Ruttenberg, CC BY 2.0, source