Editing Bulgarians (section)

==Culture==

===Language===
{{Main|Bulgarian language}}
Bulgarians speak a [[Bulgarian language|South Slavic language]] which is [[mutually intelligible]] with [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] and to a lesser degree with [[Serbo-Croatian]], especially the eastern dialects.<ref>Стойков, Стойко: Българска диалектология, Акад. изд. "Проф. Марин Дринов", 2006.</ref> The [[Lexical similarity|lexical similarities]] between Bulgarian and Macedonian are 86%, between Bulgarian and other Slavic languages between 71% and 80%, but with the Baltic languages they are 40–46%, while with English are about 20%.<ref>Girdenis A., Maziulis V. Baltu kalbu divercencine chronologija // Baltistica. T. XXVII (2). – Vilnius, 1994. – P. 9.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://s7.hostingkartinok.com/uploads/images/2014/11/8961e8d7dbfed620c32c2f2be38da936.jpg|title=Топоров В.Н. Прусский язык. Словарь. А – D. – М., 1975. – С. 5|website=S7.hostingkartinok.com|access-date=20 December 2017|archive-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222050920/http://s7.hostingkartinok.com/uploads/images/2014/11/8961e8d7dbfed620c32c2f2be38da936.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> Less than a dozen Bulgarian words are derived from [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] [[Bulgar language|Bulgar]].<ref name=fine/>

Bulgarian demonstrates some linguistic developments that set it apart from other Slavic languages shared with [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Albanian language|Albanian]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] (see [[Balkan language area]]). Bulgarian was influenced lexically by medieval and modern Greek, and [[Ottoman Turkish language|Turkish]]. [[Old Bulgarian language|Medieval Bulgarian]] influenced the other South Slavic languages and Romanian. With Bulgarian and Russian there was a mutual influence in both directions. Both languages were official or a lingua franca of each other during the Middle Ages and the Cold War. Recently, Bulgarian has borrowed many words from German, French and English.

The Bulgarian language is spoken by the majority of the [[Bulgarian diaspora]], but less so by the descendants of earlier emigrants to the U.S., Canada, [[Argentina]] and [[Brazil]].

Bulgarian linguists consider the officialized [[Macedonian language]] (since 1944) to be a local codified variation of Bulgarian, just as most ethnographers and linguists until the early 20th century considered the local Slavic speech in the Macedonian region as Bulgarian dialects.{{cn|date=September 2023}} The president of Bulgaria, [[Zhelyu Zhelev]], declined to recognize Macedonian as a separate language when North Macedonia became a new independent state. The Bulgarian language is written in the [[Cyrillic script]].

====Cyrillic alphabet====
{{Main|Cyrillic alphabet}}
[[File:Ocslavonic.gif|thumb|right|Cyrillic alphabet of the medieval [[Old Bulgarian]] language]]

In the first half of the 10th century, the [[Cyrillic script]] was devised in the [[Preslav Literary School]], [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]], based on the [[Glagolitic alphabet|Glagolitic]], the [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] and [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] alphabets. Modern versions of the alphabet are now used to write five more [[Slavic languages]] such as [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]], Russian, [[Serbian language|Serbian]] and [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] as well as [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] and some other 60 languages spoken in the former [[Soviet Union]]. [[First Bulgarian Empire|Medieval Bulgaria]] was the most important cultural centre of the [[Slavic people]]s at the end of the 9th and throughout the 10th century. The two literary schools of [[Preslav Literary School|Preslav]] and [[Ohrid Literary School|Ohrid]] developed a rich literary and cultural activity with authors of the rank of [[Constantine of Preslav]], [[John Exarch]], [[Chernorizets Hrabar]], [[Clement of Ohrid|Clement]] and [[Naum of Ohrid]]. Bulgaria exerted similar influence on its neighbouring countries in the mid- to late 14th century, at the time of the [[Tarnovo Literary School]], with the work of [[Patriarch Evtimiy]], [[Gregory Tsamblak]], [[Constantine of Kostenets]] (Konstantin Kostenechki). Bulgarian cultural influence was especially strong in [[Wallachia]] and [[Moldova]] where the Cyrillic script was used until 1860, while [[Church Slavonic language|Church Slavonic]] was the official language of the princely [[chancellor|chancellery]] and of the church until the end of the 17th century.

====Name system====
{{Main|Bulgarian name}}

There are several different layers of Bulgarian names. The vast majority of them have either Christian (names like Lazar, [[Ivan (name)|Ivan]], Anna, Maria, Ekaterina) or [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] origin (Vladimir, Svetoslav, Velislava). After the Liberation in 1878, the names of historical [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] rulers like [[Asparuh]], [[Krum]], [[Kubrat]] and [[Tervel]] were resurrected. The Bulgar name [[Boris (first name)|Boris]] has spread from Bulgaria to a number of countries in the world.

Most Bulgarian male surnames have an ''-ov'' [[family name affix|surname suffix]] ([[Cyrillic]]: {{lang|bg|-ов}}), a tradition used mostly by Eastern Slavic nations such as [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]] and [[Belarus]]. This is sometimes [[Transcription (linguistics)|transcribed]] as ''-off'' or ''-of'' (John Atanasov—[[John Atanasoff]]), but more often as ''-ov'' (e.g. [[Boyko Borisov]]). The ''-ov'' suffix is the Slavic gender-[[agreement (linguistics)|agreeing]] suffix, thus ''Ivanov'' ({{langx|bg|Иванов}}) literally means "Ivan's". Bulgarian middle names are patronymic and use the gender-agreeing suffix as well, thus the middle name of Nikola's son becomes ''Nikolov'', and the middle name of Ivan's son becomes ''Ivanov''. Since names in Bulgarian are gender-based, Bulgarian women have the ''-ova'' surname suffix (Cyrillic: {{lang|bg|-овa}}), for example, ''Maria Ivanova''. The plural form of Bulgarian names ends in ''-ovi'' (Cyrillic: {{lang|bg|-ови}}), for example the ''Ivanovi'' family ({{lang|bg|Иванови}}).

<!-- too verbose... -->Other common Bulgarian male surnames have the ''-ev'' surname suffix (Cyrillic: {{lang|bg|-ев}}), for example ''Stoev'', ''Ganchev'', ''Peev'', and so on. The female surname in this case would have the ''-eva'' surname suffix (Cyrillic: {{lang|bg|-ева}}), for example: ''Galina Stoeva''. The last name of the entire family then would have the plural form of ''-evi'' (Cyrillic: {{lang|bg|-еви}}), for example: the ''Stoevi'' family ({{lang|bg|Стоеви}}).

Another typical Bulgarian surname suffix, though less common, is ''-ski''. This surname ending also gets an ''–a'' when the bearer of the name is female (''Smirnenski'' becomes ''Smirnenska''). The plural form of the surname suffix ''-ski'' is still ''-ski'', e.g. the ''Smirnenski'' family ({{lang|bg|Смирненски}}).

The ending ''–in'' (female ''-ina'') also appears rarely. It used to be given to the child of an unmarried woman (for example the son of ''Kuna'' will get the surname ''Kunin'' and the son of ''Gana'' – ''Ganin''). The surname suffix ''-ich'' can be found only occasionally, primarily among the Roman Catholic Bulgarians. The surname ending ''–ich'' does not get an additional ''–a'' if the bearer of the name is female.

===Religion===
{{main|Eastern Orthodox Church|Bulgarian Orthodox Church}}
[[File:Bulgarian-Exarchate-1870-1913.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Map of the [[Bulgarian Exarchate]] (1870–1913). The Ottomans required a threshold of two thirds of positive votes of the Orthodox population to include a region into this jurisdiction.<ref>Hupchick, D.''The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe'', p. 67. Springer, 2016, {{ISBN|9781137048172}}</ref>]]

Most Bulgarians are at least nominally members of the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] founded in 870 AD ([[autocephalous]] since 927 AD). The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the independent national church of Bulgaria like the other national branches of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox communion]] and is considered a dominating element of Bulgarian national consciousness. The church was abolished once, during the period of Ottoman rule (1396—1878), in 1873 it was revived as [[Bulgarian Exarchate]] and soon after raised again to Bulgarian [[Patriarchate]]. In 2021, the Orthodox Church at least nominally had a total of 4,219,270 members in Bulgaria (71.5% of the population),<ref name=Census>{{cite web|url=https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_ethnos.pdf|title=Преброяване 2021: Етнокултурна характеристика на населението|trans-title=2021 Census: Ethnocultural characteristics of the population|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124195716/https://nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Census2021_ethnos.pdf|archive-date=24 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=staff |first=The Sofia Globe |date=2022-11-24 |title=Census 2021: Close to 72% of Bulgarians say they are Christians |url=https://sofiaglobe.com/2022/11/24/census-2021-close-to-72-of-bulgarians-say-they-are-christians/ |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=The Sofia Globe |language=en-US}}</ref> down from 6,552,000 (83%) at the 2001 census. 3,980,131 of these pointed out the Bulgarian ethnic group (79% of the total Bulgarian ethnic group).<ref>{{Cite web |title=71.5% are the Christians in Bulgaria - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency|url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/217761/71.5+are+the+Christians+in+Bulgaria |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=www.novinite.com}}</ref><ref name=Census/> The Orthodox Bulgarian minorities in [[Romania]], Serbia, [[Greece]], Albania, [[Ukraine]] and [[Moldova]] nowadays hold allegiance to the respective national Orthodox churches.

Despite the position of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as a unifying symbol for all Bulgarians, small groups of Bulgarians have converted to other faiths through the course of time. During Ottoman rule, a substantial number of Bulgarians converted to Islam, forming the community of the [[Pomaks]] or [[Muslim Bulgarians]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2007/2-2007-Eminov.pdf |title=Social Construction of Identities: Pomaks in Bulgaria, Ali Eminov, JEMIE 6 (2007) 2 © 2007 by European Centre for Minority Issues |access-date=2015-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326094257/http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2007/2-2007-Eminov.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 16th and the 17th centuries Roman Catholic missionaries converted a small number of Bulgarian [[Paulicians]] in the districts of [[Plovdiv]] and [[Svishtov]] to [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]. Nowadays there are some 40,000 Roman Catholic Bulgarians in Bulgaria, additional 10,000 in the [[Banat]] in Romania and up to 100,000 people of Bulgarian ancestry in South America. The Roman Catholic Bulgarians of the Banat are also descendants of Paulicians who fled there at the end of the 17th century after an unsuccessful uprising against the Ottomans. Protestantism was introduced in Bulgaria by missionaries from the United States in 1857. Missionary work continued throughout the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays there are some 25,000 Protestant Bulgarians in Bulgaria.

===Art and science===
{{main|Cinema of Bulgaria|Bulgarian literature|Music of Bulgaria|Bulgarian dances|}}
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| footer = [[Assen Jordanoff]] (left), Bulgarian American inventor considered by prominent aviation specialists the main contributor to the American knowledge of aviation, likewise the [[Boeing]], [[airbag]] and [[tape recorder]].<ref>{{cite web |author=От Труд онлайн |url=http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=2415075 |title=Архивът е в процес на прехвърляне – Труд |website=Trud.bg |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035743/http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=2415075 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><br />[[John Vincent Atanasoff]] (right), Bulgarian American inventor of the [[Atanasoff-Berry computer]], legally the inventor of the electronic digital computer in the U.S. and considered the "father of the computer".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_Zja6hoP4 ]{{dead link|date=November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNmm_Axdor8C&pg=PA8 |title=A to Z of Computer Scientists |author=Harry Henderson |page=8 |date=2014-05-14 |publisher=Infobase |access-date=2016-11-22|isbn=9781438109183}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n5omAAAAMAAJ&q=john+atanasoff+father+of+computer |title=Atanasoff: Forgotten Father of the Computer |author=Clark R. Mollenhoff |date=1999-02-28 |publisher=Iowa State University Press |access-date=2016-11-22 |isbn=9780813800325 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928201737/https://books.google.com/books?id=n5omAAAAMAAJ&q=john+atanasoff+father+of+computer |url-status=live }}</ref>
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[[Boris Christoff]], [[Nicolai Ghiaurov]], [[Raina Kabaivanska]] and [[Ghena Dimitrova]] made a precious contribution to opera singing with Ghiaurov and Christoff being two of the greatest [[Bass (voice type)|bassos]] in the post-war period. Similarly, [[Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean]] is one of the best-known harpists today.
Bulgarians have made valuable contributions to world culture in modern times as well. [[Julia Kristeva]] and [[Tzvetan Todorov]] were among the most influential European philosophers in the second half of the 20th century. The artist [[Christo]] is among the most famous representatives of [[environmental art]], with projects such as the [[Wrapped Reichstag]].

Bulgarians in the diaspora have also been active. American scientists and inventors of Bulgarian descent include [[John Atanasoff]], [[Peter Petroff]], and [[Assen Jordanoff]]. Bulgarian-American [[Stephane Groueff]] wrote the celebrated book ''Manhattan Project'', about the making of the first [[atomic bomb]] and also penned ''Crown of Thorns'', a biography of [[Tsar]] [[Boris III of Bulgaria]].

===Cuisine===
{{main|Bulgarian cuisine}}
[[File:Peach_kompot.JPG|right|thumb|Bulgarian peach [[kompot]] – non alcoholic clear juice obtained by cooking fruit]]

Famous for its rich salads required at every meal, Bulgarian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of [[dairy product]]s and the variety of [[Bulgarian wine|local wines]] and alcoholic beverages such as [[rakia]], [[mastika]] and [[Menta (drink)|menta]]. Bulgarian cuisine features also a variety of hot and cold soups, an example of a cold soup being [[tarator]]. There are many different Bulgarian pastries as well such as [[banitsa]].

Most Bulgarian dishes are oven baked, steamed, or in the form of stew. Deep-frying is not very typical, but grilling—especially different kinds of meats—is very common. Pork meat is the most common meat in the Bulgarian cuisine. Oriental dishes do exist in Bulgarian cuisine with most common being [[moussaka]], [[gyuvetch]], and [[baklava]]. A very popular ingredient in Bulgarian cuisine is the Bulgarian white brine cheese called "[[sirene]]" (сирене). It is the main ingredient in many salads, as well as in a variety of pastries. Fish and chicken are widely eaten and while beef is less common as most cattle are bred for milk production rather than meat, [[veal]] is a natural byproduct of this process and it is found in many popular recipes. Bulgaria is a net exporter of lamb and its own consumption of the meat is prevalent during its production time in spring.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/572/bulgaria-poultry-and-products-meat-market-update |title=Bulgaria Poultry and Products Meat Market Update |publisher=The Poultry Site |date=2006-05-08 |access-date=2015-08-30 |archive-date=14 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214174248/http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/572/bulgaria-poultry-and-products-meat-market-update/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[bread and salt]] tradition, which is widespread among Balto-Slavs, is the usual welcome given to strangers and politicians.

===Folk beliefs and customs===
{{main|Bulgarian customs|Slavic mythology}}
[[File:Кукери.jpg|thumb|[[Kukeri]] from the area of [[Burgas]]]]
[[File:Lazarki from Gabra.jpg|thumb|Girls celebrating [[Lazarice|Lazaruvane]] from Gabrа, [[Sofia Province]]]]
Bulgarians may celebrate [[Saint Theodore's Day]] with horse racings. At Christmas Eve a [[Pogača]] with fortunes is cooked, which are afterwards put under the pillow. At [[Easter]] the first egg is painted red and is kept for a whole year. On the [[Baptism of Jesus]] a competition to catch the cross in the river is held and is believed the sky is "opened" and any wish will be fulfilled.

Bulgarians as well as [[Albanians]] nod the head up and down to indicates "no" and shake to indicate "yes". They may wear the [[martenitsa]] (мартеница)—an adornment made of white and red yarn and worn on the wrist or pinned on the clothes—from 1 March until the end of the month. Alternatively, one can take off the martenitsa earlier if one sees a stork (considered a harbinger of spring). One can then tie the martenitsa to the blossoming branch of a tree. Family-members and friends in Bulgaria customarily exchange martenitsas, which they regard as symbols of health and longevity. When a stork is seen, the martenitsa should be left on a tree. The white thread represents peace and tranquility, while the red one stands for the cycles of life. Bulgarians may also refer to the holiday of 1 March as [[Baba Marta]] (Баба Марта), meaning ''Grandmother March''. It preserves an ancient pagan tradition, possibly celebrating the [[Martius (month)|old Roman new Year]], beginning on 1 March, identical with Romanian [[Mărțișor]]. Pagan customs found their way to the Christian holidays. The ancient ritual of [[kukeri]] (кукери), similar to Slovenian [[Kurentovanje]], [[Busójárás]] and [[Halloween]], is performed by costumed men in different times of the year and after Easter. This seeks to scare away evil spirits and bring good harvest and health to the community. Goat is symbolized, that was left from the Thracian cult of [[Dionysian Mysteries]]. The ritual consists of dancing, jumping, shouting and collect gifts from the houses in an attempt to banish all evil from the village. The adornments on the costumes vary from one region to another. The [[Thracian Heros]] remains in the image of [[Saint George]], at whose feast the agriculture is celebrated, a lamb is traditionally eaten, accomplished with ritual bathing. [[Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha|Saint Tryphon]]'s fertility and wine is attributed a Thracian origin, considered to preserve the cult to [[Sabazius]] as the Kukeri.<ref>Колева Т. А. Болгары // Календарные обычаи и обряды в странах зарубежной Европы. Конец XIX — начало XX в. Весенние праздники. — М.: Наука, 1977. — С. 274–295. — 360 с.</ref> This is followed in February by Pokladi, a tradition of setting massively large fire and jump over as at the [[Kupala Night]] and a competition between couples to eat an egg on a thread is held. Another characteristic custom called [[nestinarstvo]] (нестинарство), or ''firedancing'', distinguishes the [[Strandzha]] region, as well as [[Dog spinning]]. The authentic nestinarstvo with states of [[trance]] is only preserved in the village [[Balgari]]. This ancient custom involves dancing into fire or over live embers. Women dance into the fire with their bare feet without suffering any injury or pain.
 
[[Early Slavs|Slavic]] pagan customs are preserved in Bulgarian Christian holidays. The [[Miladinov brothers]] and foreign authors noticed that even pagan prayers are preserved quoting plenty of Slavic pagan rite songs and tales remained in Bulgarians, including [[Macedonians (Bulgarians)|Macedonians]] and [[Pomaks]], mainly dedicated to the divine nymphs [[Samodiva (mythology)|samovili]] and [[peperuna]] for the feasts [[survakane|surva]], [[Saint George's Day]], [[Koleda]], etc. with evidence of toponymy throughout the regional groups linking directly to the deities [[Svarog]], [[Perun]], [[Hors]] and [[Veles (god)|Veles]], while the regional group Hartsoi derive their name from god Hors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tangrabg.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/veda_slovena.pdf |title=?? |website=Tangrabg.files.wordpress.com |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=26 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326094747/https://tangrabg.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/veda_slovena.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://bkks.org/files/bnpesni.pdf |title=?? |website=Bkks.org |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702182601/http://bkks.org/files/bnpesni.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Анчо Калоянов. СТАРОБЪЛГАРСКОТО ЕЗИЧЕСТВО. LiterNet, 06. 11. 2002. {{ISBN|954-304-009-5}}</ref> Songs dedicated to the Thracian divinity [[Orpheus]] were found in Pomaks, who is said to marry the samovili. The old Bulgarian name of the [[Presentation of Jesus at the Temple]] was ''Gromnitsa'' and ''Perunov den'' dedicated to the supreme Slavic thunder god Perun. In the mix of Christian and pagan patrons of thunder, at [[Saint Elijah]]'s feast day [[Ognyena Maria]] is worshiped, the Slavic goddesses assisting Perun that took a substitutional dual position of the Christian Mother of God. The custom for rain begging [[Peperuna]] is derived from the wife of Perun and the god of the rain [[Dodola]], this was described by a 1792 Bulgarian book as a continued worship of Perun at times of absence of rain with a ritual performed by a boy or a girl dressed like Perun.<ref>История во кратце о болгарском народе словенском</ref> Similar rain begging is called [[German (mythology)|German]]. In case of continuous lack of rain, a custom of driving out the [[zmey]] from the area is performed. In the dualistic Slavic belief the zmey may be both good [[tutelary spirit]] and evil, in which case is considered not local and good, but evil and trying to inflict harm and drought.<ref name=ivanichka/> Saint [[Jeremiah]]'s feast is of the snakes and the reptiles, there is a tradition of jumping over fire. At the [[Rusalka#Rusalka week|Rusalka week]] the girls don't go outside to prevent themselves from diseases and harm that the dead forces [[Nav (Slavic folklore)|Rusalii]] can cause.<ref name=ivanichka/> This remained the holiday of the samovili. The men performing the custom are also called Rusalii, they don't let anybody pass through between them, don't talk with each other except for the evening, avoid water, if someone lacks behind a member swoops the sword over the lacker's head to prevent him from evil spirits.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bgnow.eu/news.php?cat=2&cp=0&newsid=27862 |title=Русалии – древните български обичаи по Коледа |website=Bgnow.eu |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=2 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702205027/http://www.bgnow.eu/news.php?cat=2&cp=0&newsid=27862 |url-status=live }}</ref> If the group encounter on their way a well, dry tree, old cemeteries, crossroads, they go round them three times. Before leaving rusalii say goodbye to their relatives as if they went to war, which is not surprising because some of them are killed. When two rusalii groups met there was a fight to the death in which the dead were buried in special "rusaliyski cemetery." Each year there are holidays in honour of wolves and mouses. A relief for the scared believers is celebrated at the [[Beheading of St. John the Baptist]], when according to Bulgarian belief all the [[List of Slavic mythological figures|mythical figure]]s go back to their caves in a mythical village in the middle of nowhere Zmeykovo of the zmey king, along with the [[rusalki]], samodivi, and return at [[Annunciation]].<ref name=ivanichka>{{cite web |url=http://mling.ru/etnolingvistika/bg/muth_bg.pdf |title=?? |website=Mling.ru |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=26 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326094737/http://mling.ru/etnolingvistika/bg/muth_bg.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> According to other beliefs the danger peaks at the so-called few days around the New Year Eve "Dirty Days", this time starts at [[Koleda]], which merged with [[Christmas]], when groups of kids [[koledari]] visit houses, singing carols and receiving a gift at parting. It is believed that no man can go in Zmeyovo and only the magpie knows the location of this place. At many of the holidays a sexual taboo is said to be practiced to prevent conceiving a vampire or werewolf and not to work, not to go to [[Vechornytsi|Sedenki]] or go out. [[Need-fire|Live-fire]] is set in case of epidemics.<ref name=ivanichka/> [[Babinden]] for example is rooted in the mother-goddess. On the day of [[St. Vlas]], the tradition of a "wooly" god Veles established itself, a god who is considered to be a protector of shepherds, and bread is given to the livestock on that day.<ref name=ivanichka/> The ancient Slavic custom to marry died people occurred in Bulgarian society.<ref name=ivanichka/> [[Survakane]] is performed each new year with a decorated stick by children, who hit adults on the back for health at the New Year Eve, usually in exchange of money. In the [[Chech]] region there is a custom forbidding "touching the land", i.e. construction and agriculture, at the equinox on 25 March and the same custom is found in Belarusian [[Volhynia]] and [[Polesia]].<ref name=ivanichka/>

Bulgarian mythology and fairy tales are mainly about forest figures, such as the dragon zmey, the nymphs samovili (samodivi), the witch veshtitsa. They are usually harmful and devastating, but can also help the people. The samovili are said to live in beeches and sycamores the, which are therefore considered holy and not permitted burning.<ref name=ivanichka/> Samovili, although believed to be masters of everything between the sky and the earth, "run away" from fraxinus, garlic, dew and walnut.<ref name=ivanichka/> Walnut remained in Christianity to be used in prayers to "see" the dead in Spirits Day.<ref name=ivanichka/> [[Dictamnus]] is believed to be their favourite herb, which is intoxicating. The samovili are spirits in Bulgarian beliefs are the diseases themselves and punish people, kidnap shepherds, make blind the people or drown them and are in white colored dress, they are in odd numbers, which suggest they are ones of the "dead".<ref name=ivanichka/> Epic heroes as [[Prince Marko]] are believed to be descended from the samodivi. The elm is believed to scare the evil forces. Sacral trees in Bulgarian beliefs are beeches and oaks.<ref name=ivanichka/> Hawthorn is believed to expel all evil forces and is applied to cure suspected vampires. The tradition forbids killing of sacred animals – deer, while it is hold a belief the samodivi runaway from horse. The alleged as "unclean" animals resembling the devil such as the goat are, however, exempted from being eaten as the holy ones. The zmey is [[transhuman]] and can turn "into" animals, plants and items, he is also "responsible" for diseases, madness and missing women.<ref name=ivanichka/> The female version of the Slavic zmey is [[Lamia]] and [[Ala (demon)|Ala]] is another version. The girls who practiced [[Lazarice|Lazaruvane]] and other rituals "could not" be kidnapped by the zmey. The main enemy of the Sun is the zmey, which tries to eat the Sun, which scene is preserved in church art.<ref name=ivanichka/> The sun is painted one eyed as recorded by beliefs Perun stabbed one of the sun's eyes to save the world from overheating.<ref name=ivanichka/> The [[Vampire hunter|born on Saturday]] are thought as having supernatural powers, those born at the wolves' holidays and a number of people are alleged as [[werewolf|varkolaks]] and vampires.<ref name=ivanichka/> The most spread Bulgarian view of the vampire was that of a rolling bulbous balloon of blood derived from the Slavic term ''pir'' "drink".<ref name=ivanichka/> Rusalka is believed to be a variety of the samodivi and [[Nav (Slavic folklore)|Nav]], but the latter are considered little fairies.<ref name=ivanichka/> The Thursdays remained feasts of Perun in Bulgarian beliefs.<ref name=ivanichka/> The wind and the hot steam of the bread is believed to be the souls of the dead.<ref name=ivanichka/> From Easter to Feast of the Ascension it is believed that the death are in the flowers and the animals. [[Marzanna|Mora]] in Bulgarian beliefs is a black hairy evil spirit with four firing eyes associated with nightmares when causing someone to scream, similarly to [[Kikimora]]. Polunoshtnitsa and [[Poludnica]] are believed to be evil spirits causing death, while to [[Leshy|Lesnik]], [[Domovoy|Domovnik]] and [[Vodyanoy|Vodnik]] a dualistic nature is attributed.<ref name=ivanichka/> Thanks to the [[Volkhv|Vlshebnik]], a man of the community, a magician and a priest, communication with the "other" world was held.<ref name=ivanichka/> Torbalan is the [[Sack Man]] used to scare children, along with [[Baba Yaga]], who is a witch in her Bulgarian version.<ref name=ivanichka/>

[[Kuma Lisa]] and [[Hitar Petar]] are the tricky fox and villager from the fairy tales, the tricked antagonist is often [[Nasreddin Hoca]], whereas [[Bay Ganyo]] is a ridiculed Bulgarian villager. Ivancho and Mariika are the protagonists of the jokes.

Despite eastern Ottoman influence is obvious in areas such as cuisine and music, Bulgarian folk beliefs and mythology seem to lack analogies with [[Turkic mythology]], [[Tengriism|paganism]] and any non-European folk beliefs,<ref name=ivanichka/> sо in pre-Christian times the ancient Bulgars were much inferior to the Slavs in the ethnogenesis and culture that resulted in modern Bulgarians. The Slavic language was officialized at the same time with Christianity, so Slavic paganism has never been a state religion of Bulgaria or more influential than [[Tengriism]].  Most of Bulgarian land lack any pagan archeology left from the Bulgars, despite early Christianization and that during most of the pagan period medieval Bulgarian borders spread significantly only in today's northern Bulgaria. Although legacy indicating ancient [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] culture is at most virtually absent in modern Bulgarian culture, some authors claim there is a similarity between the dress and customs of the [[Chuvashes]], who descend from the [[Volga Bulgars]], and the Bulgarian ethnographic group ''Kapantsi'' from [[Targovishte Province]] and [[Razgrad Province]], among whom the claim that they are direct descendants of [[Asparuh]]'s Bulgars is popular,<ref>Следи от бита и езика на прабългарите в нашата народна култура, Иван Коев, София, 1971.</ref><ref name="max">{{cite book|last1=MacDermott|first1=Mercia|title=Bulgarian Folk Customs|publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers|isbn=9781853024856|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gh4IE6toGJMC&pg=PA22|pages=41, 44|quote=The so-called Kapantsi - an ethnographic group living mainly in the Razgrad and Turgovishte, area of north-east Bulgaria - are believed to be descendants of Asparuh's Bulgars who have maintained at least something of their original heritage...the traditional costumes of Bulgaria are derived mainly from the ancient Slav costumes...Women's costumes fall into four main categories: one-apron, two-apron, sukman and saya. Like men's costumes, these are not intrinsically separate types, but have evolved from the original chemise and apron worn by the early Slavs...Directly descended with little mutation from the dress of the ancient Slavs, the one-apron ...|date=1998-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.promacedonia.org/da/da_4_3.htm |title=Д. Ангелов, Образуване на българската народност – 4.3 |website=Promacedonia.org |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=19 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219025030/http://www.promacedonia.org/da/da_4_3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> but Slavic elements are found among them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ekip7.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17519 |title=Ekip7 Разград – Коренните жители на Разград и района – българи, ама не какви да е, а капанци! |website=Ekip7.bg |date=2015-09-14 |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=12 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012095815/http://www.ekip7.bg/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17519 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Folk dress and music===
[[File:Sv%C4%9Bt_knihy_-_bulharsk%C3%BD_folklorn%C3%AD_soubor_135.JPG|thumb|Bulgarian folk dancers in a national costume with embroidery on the penultimate row of the aprons showing the most spread Slavic cryptogram [[Bur]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rusorn.ru/%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82/|title=Значение узоров и орнаментов – Русские орнаменты и узоры|date=21 November 2013|trans-title=The meaning of patterns and ornaments|website=Russian ornaments and patterns|access-date=20 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121002630/http://rusorn.ru/%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82/|archive-date=21 November 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> with a cross inside the rhombus representing the sun and spirals indicating rain,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etnoxata.com.ua/ru/statti-ru/ru-traditsiji/ru-simvoli-v-ornamentah-starodavnih-slovjan/ |title=Символы в орнаментах древних славян |website=Etnoxata.com.ua |date=2015-01-25 |access-date=2016-11-22 |archive-date=26 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326094125/http://etnoxata.com.ua/ru/statti-ru/ru-traditsiji/ru-simvoli-v-ornamentah-starodavnih-slovjan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which is similarly represented as the ''Rising Sun''<ref>В. В. Якжик, Государственный флаг Республики Беларусь, w: Рекомендации по использованию государственной символики в учреждениях образования, page 3.</ref> [[:File:Flag of Belarus (ornaments).svg|decorative pattern]] of the [[Flag of Belarus]]. Similar carpet patterns appear on the [[Flag of Turkmenistan]] ultimately derived from ancient [[Persian carpet|Persia]].]]
Bulgarian folk costumes feature long white robes, usually with red embrdoiery and ornaments derived from the Slavic [[Rushnyk|Rachenik]]. 
The costume is considered to be mainly derived from the dress of the [[ancient Slavs]], the female dress with the overgarments joined at the shoulders that evolved from [[Sarafan]] and all the types of [[Sukmana|sukman]], saya and [[apron]]s fasten at the waist are said to be directly descended from the ancient Slavs only with negligible mutation.<ref name="max"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Mellish|first1=Liz|title=Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion Vol 9: East Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=9781847883988|page=PART 5: Southeast Europe, Bulgaria: Ethnic Dress|quote=Bulgarian women's dress include overgarments that are joined at the shoulders and are considered to have evolved from the sarafan. (the pinafore dress typically worn by women of various Slav nations). This type of garment includes the soukman and the saya and aprons that fasten at the waist that are also attributed to a Slavic origin.|title-link=Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion|year=2010}}</ref> The women's head-dress, which turned to be a must for the Bulgarian costume is a decoration with flowers optionally on a headband, that distinguishes all the Balto-Slavic peoples and is not found in western cultures. The male dress is of likewise origin, usually [[Riza]] "robe",  poyas "belt", poturi "full-bottomed breeches" typical for the Slavs and often a [[Opanak|tsarvul]] and [[kalpak]] for shoes and jacket. Among the most similar relatives of the latter for example is [[Ukrainian Culture#Jewelry|Ukrainian]] hutsul, but the kalpak is attributed to Ottoman influence. The male skirt [[fustanella]] appears on the dress only of the [[Macedonian Bulgarians]] and is of indigenous Balkan origin or influence. In some dress of [[Thrace]] the symbol of the snake as in medieval tombs is found and is considered a Thracian cultural legacy and belief.<ref name=ivanichka/>

Folk songs are most often about the nymphs from Bulgarian and [[West Slavs|West Slavic]] mythology ([[Samodiva (mythology)|samovili]]) and the epic heroes (yunaks).<ref name="auto"/> Instruments [[Gadulka]], [[Gusle|Gusla]], [[Duduk]], [[gaida]] [[Dvoyanka]] are analogous to other Slavic [[gudok]], [[Pipe (instrument)|dudka]] and [[Dvodentsivka]]. [[Kaval]] is common in the Balkans and Turkey and is akin to Arab [[Kawala]], as well as Tapan, Goblet Drum, [[Zurna]]. The most spread dance is a [[circle dance]] called [[horo (dance)|horo]] and [[khorovod]]. Songs are generally loud. Recent eastern influences from the genre music [[chalga]] and [[turbo-folk]] even brought a prestige for the masculine voices of females.

[[Valya Balkanska]] is a folk singer thanks to whom the [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian speech]] in her song "[[Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin]]" will be played in the [[Outer space]] for at least 60,000 years more as part of the [[Voyager Golden Record]] selection of music included in the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977.

===Sport===
{{main|Sport in Bulgaria}}{{multiple image|align=left
|image1 = Hristo stoichkov-2010 (crop).jpg|width1=92|caption1= [[Hristo Stoichkov]], awarded the [[Ballon d'Or]] and regarded as one of the best footballers by Barcelona.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_de_llegenda/stoichkov.html |title=HRISTO STOICHKOV &#124; FCBarcelona.cat |publisher=Fcbarcelona.com |access-date=2015-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103000543/http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_de_llegenda/stoichkov.html |archive-date=3 January 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|image2 = Veselin Topalov Sofia Airport 24.10.2005.pic-01.jpg|width2=121|caption2=[[Veselin Topalov]], the 21st [[World Chess Champion]].
|image3 = |width3=130|caption3=[[André the Giant|André Roussimoff]], the most famous [[World Wrestling Federation|WWF]] wrestler.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=00XoU40tLO8C&pg=PA66 |title=Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers |author1=Dave Meltzer |author2=Bret Hart |date= 2004-01-01|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC |access-date=2016-11-22|isbn=9781582618173}}</ref>
}}
As for most European peoples, [[association football|football]] became by far the most popular sport for the Bulgarians. [[Hristo Stoichkov]] was one of the best football (soccer) players in the second half of the 20th century, having played with the national team and [[FC Barcelona]]. He received a number of awards and was the joint top scorer at the [[1994 World Cup]]. [[Dimitar Berbatov]], formerly in [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]] and others, the national team and two domestic clubs, is still the most popular Bulgarian football player of the 21st century.

In the beginning of the 20th century Bulgaria was famous for two of the best wrestlers in the world – [[Dan Kolov]] and [[Nikola Petroff]]. [[Stefka Kostadinova]] is the best female [[high jump]]er, still holding the world record from 1987, one of the oldest unbroken world records for all kind of athletics. [[Ivet Lalova]] along with [[Irina Privalova]] is currently the fastest white woman at [[100 metres]]. [[Kotoōshū Katsunori|Kaloyan Mahlyanov]] has been the first European sumo wrestler to win the Emperor's Cup in Japan. Veselin Topalov won the 2005 [[World Chess Championship]]. He was ranked No. 1 in the world from April 2006 to January 2007, and had the second highest Elo rating of all time (2813). He regained the world No. 1 ranking again in October 2008.

===Symbols===
The national symbols of the Bulgarians are the [[Flag of Bulgaria|Flag]], the [[Coat of arms of Bulgaria|Coat of Arms]], the [[National anthem of Bulgaria|National anthem]] and the [[National Guards Unit of Bulgaria|National Guard]], as well other unofficial symbols such as the [[Samara flag]].

The national flag of Bulgaria is a rectangle with three colours: white, green, and red, positioned horizontally top to bottom. The colour fields are of same form and equal size. It is generally known that the white represents – the purity, the green – the forest and nature and the red – the blood of the people, referencing the strong bond of the nation through all the wars and revolutions that have shaken the country in the past.
The [[Coat of arms of Bulgaria]] is a state symbol of the sovereignty and independence of the Bulgarian people and state. It represents a crowned rampant golden lion on a dark red background with the shape of a shield. Above the shield there is a crown modeled after the crowns of the emperors of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]], with five crosses and an additional cross on top. Two crowned rampant golden lions hold the shield from both sides, facing it. They stand upon two crossed oak branches with acorns, which symbolize the power and the longevity of the Bulgarian state. Under the shield, there is a white band lined with the three national colours. The band is placed across the ends of the branches and the phrase "Unity Makes Strength" is inscribed on it.

Both the Bulgarian flag and the Coat of Arms are also used as symbols of various Bulgarian organisations, political parties and institutions.

The horse of the [[Madara Rider]] is preserved on the back of the Bulgarian [[stotinka]].