Its white, green and red match the Bulgarian flag. "Шопи"
are the people of the Sofia region, the heroes of countless jokes. In a restaurant it's enough to say "Една шопска, моля"
— everyone knows you mean the salad. It's eaten at the start of lunch or dinner.
Explore Bulgaria
Shopska salad
"Шопска салата"
— tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onion under a snowy mountain of grated "сирене"
— is the unofficial national dish.
Popo le Chien · CC0 · Source
History of Bulgaria
An illustrated history of Bulgaria
Explore Bulgaria
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).