Vesela Koleda! Bulgarians Start Christmas Preparations

In Bulgaria, unlike other Orthodox Churches which use the Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas on January 7, this great holiday is celebrated on December 25, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Nevertheless, for many Bulgarians, preparations start much earlier with advent, which lasts for 40 days in the Orthodox Church and starts on the 15th of November. This was why the Bulgarian embassy in Georgia started the Christmas celebrations and marked it by holding a Christmas workshop on its premises on November 25.

Imagine the scene: children and adults, busy making decorations for the Christmas tree, even inexperienced ones learning what to do; a mix of Bulgarians either born in Georgia, or temporarily residing here as part of their mission or work.

“Survachka is a small tree which is usually decorated with popcorn, dried fruit, and with woolen and cotton decorations,” Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Dessislava Ivanova, told us. “Traditionally, young boys take them from house to house. When the owner of the house opens the door, they, dressed in traditional clothing, sing some traditional songs and offer their good wishes for the homeowner’s health, prosperity, and a good harvest. We used to make the survachkas, though these days we buy them”.

“My mother used to prepare Tolma which was different from the Georgian one,” said Irina Janjghava-Yanak, a Georgian woman whose mother is a Bulgarian born-and-bred in Georgia. “We also make Banitsa [a layered pastry filled with cheese, which tastes very similar to Khachapuri]. My mother learnt it from her grandmother. I’m happy that there’s a Bulgarian society in Georgia and that we can meet at such events”.

To find out about Christmas traditions in Bulgaria, check out our special Christmas issue of GEORGIA TODAY at the end of December.

Maka Lomadze