Bulgarian Embassy Celebrates Upcoming Holidays with Children’s Crafts

The Bulgarian Embassy in Georgia welcomed children and their parents from the Bulgarian diaspora and local community to unite for an annually-held evening of crafts, delicious Georgian and Bulgarian savories and sweets and traditional singing at the Embassy on December 7.

Ambassador Desislava Ivanova welcomed the Bulgarian citizens, their families and their Georgian friends, noting the importance of coming together to celebrate this important international holiday and preserving the Bulgarian traditions of song and crafts.

Children of various nationalities came together around a well-supplied crafts table and were given free-reign to create Christmas scenes and decorations. Guests were introduced to the Bulgarian ‘survachka,’ a curled branch of a cornel tree which adults bent and tied to resemble the Cyrillic letter "f" (Ф). These the children then decorated with popcorn, small bagels, wool and beads. We were then told of the Survakane ritual in which a member of the family, typically the youngest, lightly pats the back of others with a survachka during Christmas or on the morning of New Year's Day while reciting a short verse wishing their relative well for the new year. Afterwards, these children are awarded snacks, candy, or small amounts of money.

Children at the event were encouraged to sing together, first in Bulgarian and then ‘Jingle Bells’ in English and were then gifted packages of chocolates.

By Katie Ruth Davies