Bulgarians celebrated on Sunday "Sirni Zagovezni", a popular Orthodox Christian holiday. As a part of its celebration big ritual fires are lit. Photo by BGNES
Bulgarians celebrated on Sunday "Sirni Zagovezni", a popular Orthodox Christian holiday, which takes place seven weeks before Easter, and marks the beginning of the longest period of fasting.
According to the ancient Christian tradition, on that day people beg each other forgiveness for their wrong-doings during the year. Usually the younger ask the older for forgiveness and are also asked to forgive on the part of their parents, relatives, friends or just the people they live or work with.
In the past a special custom was being performed in the evening. A piece of halva was tied on a long thread, hanging from the ceiling (a hard-boiled egg or some coal is an alternative). The thread is swayed around in a circle and the participants keep on trying to catch the lump in their mouth.
The Bulgarian villages have preserved the "Kukeri" ritual, in which the masked Kukeri dance in the last days of the winter, just before nature is reborn. The participants in this ritual are only men, dressed in sheepskin garments and wearing scary masks and chanove (copper bells) attached to their belts, dancing and singing songs, and chants, with the intention to scare away the evil spirits or ghosts which people believed came back to the living ones in winter.
Contrary to the Orthodox Christian tradition to celebrate Sirni Zagovezni always on Sunday, the Catholic Church celebrates it on Tuesday, 40 days prior to Easter.