Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0 · Source
Ayran
"Айрян"
is a cold drink made of yoghurt, water and a pinch of salt.
Explore Bulgaria
The culture behind the words
borzo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Banitsa
"Баница"
is thin layered pastry baked with eggs and "сирене"
(white brined cheese).
Popo le Chien · CC0 · Source
Shopska salad
"Шопска салата"
— tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onion under a snowy mountain of grated "сирене"
— is the unofficial national dish.
Petko Yotov (user:5ko) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
The martenitsa
On 1 March Bulgarians give each other "мартеници"
— red-and-white tassels or bracelets — with the wish "Честита Баба Марта!"
.
Elena Chochkova · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Grandma March
In folk tradition March is "Баба Марта"
— "Grandma March", a moody old woman.
Ttaanya · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
3 March — Liberation Day
3 March is Bulgaria's national holiday — "Освобождението"
(the Liberation).
Mark Ahsmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
24 May — a holiday for letters
24 May is a celebration of Bulgarian letters, education and culture — for many Bulgarians the most beloved holiday.
Ned Jelyazkov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Bulgarian yoghurt
Bulgarians rarely say "йогурт"
— they say "кисело мляко"
, literally "sour milk".
Animsaj · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
The Rose Valley
Between the Balkan Mountains and Sredna Gora lies "Долината на розите"
— the Rose Valley around Kazanlak and Karlovo.
Artkostov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
The fire dancers
In a few villages of the Strandzha Mountains, "нестинари"
(fire dancers) dance barefoot on glowing embers — "жар"
— holding icons of Saints Constantine and Helena.
Sjordanov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Kukeri — the mask dancers
In winter, especially around New Year and before Lent, groups of "кукери"
go through towns and villages in huge masks, goat and sheep furs and heavy bells tied at the waist.
Boby Dimitrov · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
Christmas Eve
On 24 December — "Бъдни вечер"
— the family sits down to a meatless dinner with an odd number of dishes, often seven, nine or eleven: stuffed peppers, beans, "сарми"
(vine- or cabbage-leaf rolls), walnuts, "ошав"
(dried-fruit compote).
EvelinaRibarova · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
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Easter eggs
For "Великден"
(Easter) Bulgarians dye eggs on Holy Thursday or Saturday — the first one is always red.
MichaelElfial · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
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Coffee culture
In Bulgaria "едно кафе"
means an espresso — short and strong.
Ale.ch.geor · CC BY 4.0 · Source
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The Sofia metro
The Sofia metro is fast, clean and easy: several lines link the centre with the suburbs and the airport.
SPARKY358 · CC BY 4.0 · Source
By train
Bulgarian trains (run by БДЖ) are slow but cheap and scenic — the lines through the Iskar Gorge and the Rhodopes are beautiful.
Staryyeyes · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Mountains and huts
Bulgaria is a land of mountains: Rila, Pirin, the Rhodopes, Vitosha right above Sofia, and the long Balkan range, "Стара планина"
.
Nenko Lazarov · CC BY 2.5 · Source
The Black Sea
For Bulgarians, summer means "море"
.
Design commissioned and issued by the Bulgarian National Bank (Българска народна банка) on behalf of the Republic of Bulgaria. · Public domain · Source
The euro
Since 1 January 2026 Bulgaria has used the euro.
Андрей Романенко · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Pharmacies
A green cross and the word "аптека"
mean you're in the right place — there's a pharmacy on almost every corner.
1aeg.sofia · CC BY 4.0 · Source
School in Bulgaria
The school year usually starts on 15 September — "първият учебен ден"
(the first school day) is a celebration with flowers for the teacher.
Bin im Garten · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Market day
Every town has its "пазар"
(market), and many places have a weekly market day, often at the weekend.
VasilPetrov92 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Horo — the chain dance
At weddings, fairs and holidays Bulgarians dance the "хоро"
— a chain of people holding hands or belts.
Merci and thank you
Bulgarians say "мерси"
all the time.
Ayde — come on!
"Айде"
(or "хайде"
) is one of the most useful words in Bulgarian.
Shake for yes?
Traditionally, Bulgarians shake their head from side to side to mean "да"
(yes) and nod to mean "не"
(no).
Name days
Many Bulgarians celebrate their "имен ден"
(name day) — the church feast of the saint they're named after — just like a birthday.
Wishes for every occasion
Bulgarians love good wishes.
Handshakes, hugs and kisses
Strangers and business contacts shake hands and say "Здравейте!"
or "Добър ден!"
.
Tipping
In restaurants a tip, "бакшиш"
, of about 10% is usual if you liked the service; in a café, rounding up is enough.
Bulgarian letter shapes
Bulgarian Cyrillic has a look of its own.
Diminutives: little and sweet
Bulgarians love diminutives — words made "small and sweet" with endings like "-че", "-ка", "-ичка"
.
Good evening or good night?
"Лека нощ"
(literally "light night") is only for saying goodbye late in the evening or before bed — never as a greeting.
Chestito! — congratulations
"Честито!"
is the all-purpose "congratulations!"
Exactly!
When you fully agree, say "Точно така!"
(exactly!) or "Така е"
(that's true).
Bate and kaka
"Бате"
originally means "big brother", but it's also a friendly way to address any man a bit older than you — a taxi driver, a neighbour, a stranger in the street: "Бате, къде е спирката?"
(mate, where's the stop?).
Opening hours
Look for the sign "Работно време"
(opening hours) on the door.
Your personal doctor
In Bulgaria, healthcare starts with your "личен лекар"
(personal doctor, GP), whom you choose and register with yourself.
Address registration
In Bulgaria, two address terms are "постоянен адрес"
(permanent address, shown on the ID card) and "настоящ адрес"
(current address, where you actually live).
Bulgarian names
Bulgarians usually have three names: a first name, a middle name formed from the father's first name, and a surname — e.g. "Иван Георгиев Петров"
.
Slavic cousins
Bulgarian is a South Slavic language, closest to Macedonian and related to Serbian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish and Czech.