The culture ofBulgaria has deep roots in the traditions of theSlavic people who settled the Balkans in the early Middle Ages, with influence from theByzantine civilisation,Thracian heritage andearly Christianity. Over the centuries, the Bulgarian cultural identity developed through interaction with neighbouring peoples, including elements from theRoman andOttoman periods.
Thracian artifacts include numeroustemples,tombs,golden treasures and ancient rites and rituals, while the Bulgars have left traces of their heritage in statehood, early architecture, music and dances. Thracian rituals such as the Tryphon Zarezan which is dedicated to Saint Tryphon of Campsada,Kukeri andMartenitsa are to this day kept alive in the modern Bulgarian culture.The oldest treasure of workedgold in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, comes from the site of theVarna Necropolis.[1]
Bulgaria functioned as a cultural hub ofSlavic Europe during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of thePreslav andOhrid Literary Schools. Bulgaria also gave the world theCyrillic script, the second most widely usedalphabet and sixth most-usedwriting system in the world, which originated in these two schools in the tenth century.[2]
Bulgaria's contribution to humanity continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with individuals such asJohn Atanasoff — a United States citizen of Bulgarian and British descent, regarded as the father of thedigital computer. A number of noted opera-singers (Nicolai Ghiaurov,Boris Christoff,Raina Kabaivanska,Ghena Dimitrova,Anna Tomowa-Sintow,Vesselina Kasarova), pianistAlexis Weissenberg, and successful artists (Christo,Pascin,Vladimir Dimitrov) popularized the culture of Bulgaria abroad.
Bulgaria has a long-standing musical tradition dating to the earlyMiddle Ages. One of the earliest known composers ofMedieval Europe,Yoan Kukuzel (ca. 1280–1360), became famous for his workPolieleion of the Bulgarian Woman. About 90 of his works have survived. Kukuzel also reformed the Byzantine musical writing system, and became known asThe Angel-voiced for his singing abilities.
The tradition of church singing in Bulgaria is more than thousand years old. In theBulgarian Orthodox Church there are two traditions of church singing - Easternmonodic (one-voice) singing and choral (polyphonic). The Eastern monodic singing observes the tradition of Greek andByzantine music as well as the requirements of the eight-voices polyphonic canon of theEastern Orthodox Church. The second tradition is the choral church music, established during the nineteenth century, when in Bulgaria enters the influence of Russian polyphonic choral church music. Many Bulgarian composers (Dobri Hristov, Petar Dinev, etc.) create their works in the spirit of Russian polyphony. Today Orthodox music is alive and is performed both during church worship services and at concerts by secular choirs and soloists. Contemporary Bulgarian worldwide recognized choirs and singers in whose repertoire permanently takes place the orthodox music are:Yoan Kukuzel Choir, Plovdiv Boys' Choir 'Stefka Blagoeva',Sofia Boys' Choir,Madrigal Sofia Choir, Sofia Orthodox Choir, Sofia Priest Choir, etc., worldwide famous opera singersBoris Christoff andNicola Ghiuselev.
The distinctive sound of Bulgarian folk music comes partly from the asymmetric rhythms, harmony andpolyphony, such as the use of close intervals like themajor second and the singing of a drone accompaniment underneath the melody, especially common in songs from the Shopluk region in Western Bulgaria and thePirin region.
Bulgarianfolk music is unique in its complex harmonies and highly irregular rhythms. These kinds of rhythms, also calleduneven beats orasymmetric measures, were introduced to musicologists only in 1886 when music teacher Anastas Stoyan published Bulgarian folk melodies for the first time. Examples of such beats are5
8,7
8,8
8,9
8 and11
8, or composite ones like5+7
8,15+14
8 and9+5
16. Each area of Bulgaria has a characteristic music and dance style. Bulgarian folk music inspired and was used by musicians likeKate Bush andGeorge Harrison.
Bulgarian vocal style has a unique throat quality, while the singers themselves are renowned for their range. Their voices are low and soprano and the children love singing as well as anything artistic. Diatonic scales predominate but in the Rhodope Mountains, for example, pentatonic scales occur, while in Thrace chromatic scales with augmented intervals (similar to the music of Classical Greece). Also, the intonation varies, and is quite different from the modern Western equal temperament. Depending on whether the melody moves up or down, an interval can augment or decrease by aquarter tone.
Musical instruments (also characteristic of the wholeBalkan region) includegaidaгайда (bagpipe),kavalкавал (rim-blown flute),zurna orzurlaзурна (another woodwind, similar to oboe typical among Roma),tamburaтамбура (long-necked lute),gadulkaгъдулка (bowed instrument held upright).
The gaida of Bulgaria is worthy of its own subsection. In Bulgaria the gaida has been a long symbol of the country and its heritage, and is one of the more well-known instruments of the country. The gaida most widely used is the Thracian gaida. There is in the Rhodope Mountains the deep-sounding kaba gaida. In the north, common of Dobrudzha and the Vlachs there is the dzhura gaida. Also in the Strandzha region near the border with Turkey there is the Strandzha gaida. The bag itself is made of a goat skin turned inside out, and most often the rims of the different parts of the instrument - chanter and drone pipe - have a piece of horn on it.
Dances have complex steps matching the rhythms, and are often fast. Most are circle-dances or line dances calledhoro; but some are done singly or in pairs.
Although traditional music and dance are not popular among Bulgarian city youth, they are often performed at weddings, and generally in countryside festivals. They are also performed in Bulgaria and abroad by amateur and professional performing artists and choirs.
Regional folk musical styles abound in Bulgaria.Northern Bulgaria,Dobruja,Shopluk,Thrace,Strandzha,Macedonia andRhodopes - all have distinctive sounds. Much of traditional folk music revolved around holidays likeChristmas, New Year's Day, midsummer, and the Feast ofSt. Lazarus, as well as the Strandzha region's unusualNestinarstvo rites on May 21.
Several world-renowned troupes perform Bulgarian folk music, including theState Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances, founded byPhilip Koutev (1903–1982),Trio Bulgarka and theBulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, who are featured, among others, on the anthologies titledLe Mystère des Voix Bulgares, volume 2 of which received aGrammy Award in 1989.[3]
One internationally known artist,Valya Balkanska, sang the songIzlel e Delyu Haydutin, which was chosen to be part of theVoyager Golden Record selection of music sent into space in the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. TheBulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir also known asMystery of Bulgarian voices has also attained a considerable degree of fame.
Bulgarians often give each other amartenitsa (мартеница) — an adornment made of white and red yarn and worn on the wrist or pinned on the clothes — from March 1 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. 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 asBaba Marta (Баба Марта), meaningGrandmother March. It preserves an ancient pagan tradition. Many legends exist regarding the birth of this custom, some of them dating back to the 7th century and the time ofKhan Kubrat, the ruler ofOld Great Bulgaria. Other tales relate the martenitsa to Thracian and Zoroastrian beliefs. Romania and some parts of Greece also have a similar custom. In 2017,UNESCO added the cultural practices centered around the martenitsa ritual in theUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[4]
The ancient Bulgarian ritual ofkukeri (кукери), performed by costumed men, seeks to scare away evil spirits and bring good harvest and health to the community. The costumes, made of animal furs and fleeces, cover the whole of the body. A mask, adorned with horns and decoration, covers the head of eachkuker, who also have bells attached to his waist. The kukeri dance, jump and shout in an attempt to banish all evil from the village. Some of the performers impersonate royalty, field-workers and craftsmen. The adornments on the costumes vary from one region to another. In 2015, the ritual was entered in theUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists as part of the traditional Surva Folk Fest held annually inPernik.[5]
Another characteristic custom calledNestinarstvo (Нестинарство), orfiredancing, is found in theStrandzha region. 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. In 2009, the ritual was entered in theUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[6]
Bulgaria has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are part of the national route tourist map of100 national tourist sitesof the Bulgarian Tourist Union:
Local archaeologists assume that the number of archaeological sites is the third-largest in Europe after Italy and Greece.[7]
According to the Bulgarian Statistical Institute as of 2005 there were 75 theatres in Bulgaria includingNational Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria with around 30,000 seats altogether.[8]The first theatrical events in Bulgaria are related to community centers which were the center of the spiritual and social life of the country in the middle of the 19th century.
The first theatrical production was presented in Shumen in 1856. This is the comedy Mihal Mouseoed by Sava Dobroplodni, who at that time was a teacher in Shumen.
The name of Dobri Voynikov means the beginning of the Bulgarian theater. They call it the father of the Bulgarian drama and theater. According to the fact - an inaccurate definition, because the first dramaturgic work in Bulgaria is the comedy of Theodosius Ikonomov, "The Lovecycle Wanderer or Bella of the hunting poet Sahatchiya", published in 1863 but compiled as early as 1857. The first theatrical performances on the Bulgarian stage are also not Soldiers. These are the comedy "Mihal", translated by Greek and adapted for the Bulgarian audience by Sava Dobroplodni, who organized her performance in Shumen, and the dramas "Multitudes Genoveva" and "Belisarius", placed by Krastyu Pishurka in Lom. All three titles were first played in 1856.
Vazov tells of theater in the 1870s. Until then, dozens of theatrical and pre-theatrical performances have been performed. The first of them began to be organized in the 1940s and 1950s. Even then there are traces of scenographic attempts in our country.
A more important theatrical fact during the Renaissance was the creation of the Svishtov People's Theater. The Bulgarian performances in the town began in the 1870s, when the two enthusiastic theaters - Dimitar Shishmanov and Nikolay Pavlovich - returned in their home country. The first is a director, the second is a local theater painter. The Svishtov performances are played on a specially built stage, whose artistic layout is entrusted to N. Pavlovich. And he probably managed to overcome the level of the then Bulgarian theater.
During the period 1900–1917, the Bulgarian theater entered a new stage of its development - a stage of real professionalisation of the acting art, the Europeanization of the appearance of the spectacle and the permanent establishment of the National Theater as a nationally representative cultural institution.
The Bulgarian Theater in the years to 1989 has ideological-party orientation. It is in the service of socialist realism.
The arts are called "the means of education", and "socialist realism - the only method of artistic creativity". Changes in society, culture, the arts, the theater are ubiquitous. The imposition of socialist realism takes place through the repertoire, the new Bulgarian drama, as well as the staging practice.
The dynamic development of the Bulgarian theater after 1989 typifies theater phenomena for a long period of nearly 25 years and highlights by them trends, essential characteristics and innovative movements.
Famous Bulgarian theatrical actors are:Georgi Kaloyanchev,Stoyanka Mutafova,Roza Popova,Vasil Gendov,Georgi Partsalev,Velko Kanev, Pavel Poppandov, Maria Sapundjieva,Iossif Surchadzhiev and others.
Famous Bulgarian playwrights include:Peyo Yavorov,Nedyalko Yordanov, Stoslav Stratiev, Rangel Ignatov and others.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
Bulgaria has a rich heritage in the visual arts, especially infrescoes,murals andicons. TheThracian Tomb of Kazanlak offers fine examples of excellently preserved ancient Thracian art. Tomb art provides one of the most important sources of information about Thracianlifestyle and culture. Visual arts in the Bulgarian lands experienced an upsurge during the entire period of theMiddle Ages[citation needed]. The crypt of theAlexander Nevski cathedral features an exhibition of a large collection of medieval icons. The earliest of those dates from around the 9th century. TheTarnovo Artistic School, the mainstream of the Bulgarian fine arts and architecture between 13th and 14th centuries, takes its name from the capital and main cultural center of theSecond Bulgarian Empire,Tarnovo. Although it shows the influence of some tendencies of thePalaeologan Renaissance in theByzantine Empire, the Tarnovo painting had its own unique features which makes it a separate artistic school.[15]Art historians classify its products into two types:
The works of the school show some degree of realism, portrait individualism and psychology.[16]
The unique and realistic portraits in the Boyana Church class as forerunners of theRenaissance.[17]
The wall piers and the arches often featured medallion-shaped bust images of saints. Magnificent examples of those survive inChurch of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Tarnovo. Along with traditional scenes such as "Christ's passions" and "Feast cycle" in the second layer; "Christ Pantokrator" in the dome and the Madonna with the infantChrist in the apse, specific images and scenes also appear. During the period of Ottoman rule (1396–1878) the authorities suppressed Bulgarian art. Many churches suffered destruction, and newly built ones remained somewhat modest. In the end of the 18th century theIslamic Ottoman Empire began to decay slowly, thus permitting theBulgarian National Revival of the 18th and 19th centuries to occur. Bulgaria experienced a revival in every area of culture.[citation needed] Following the Liberation in 1878, fine arts rapidly recovered and came under the influence of European artistic currents such as lateRomanticism.
After 1878 until the middle of the 20th century, there was an extremely intensive process of incorporating the Bulgarian art into the contemporary European artistic culture. The development of Bulgarian art follows the path of the ethnographic and descriptive genre scenes, painted by the artists after the Liberation, such as Ivan Markvichka, Anton Mitov, Ivan Angelov, Yaroslav Veshin in the exquisite landscapes and elegant portraits typical of the beginning of the 20th century by Nikola Petrov, Nikola Marinov, Stefan Ivanov, Elena Karamihailova together with the expressive decoration of the 1920s (Ivan Milev, Ivan Penkov, Pencho Georgiev ... ) to the extremely wealthy creative talents and various plastic quests in the 1930s and 1940s by Vladimir Dimitrov - The Master, Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, Dechko Uzunov, Nenko Balkanski, Sirak Skitnik, Vera Nedkova, Ivan Nenov, Bencho Obreshkov, with many different artists from different parts of the country.
The cartoon, the illustration and the layout of the book with the three great ones first appear as they are called Alexander Bozhinov, Ilia Beshkov, Raiko Aleksiev, Kiril Buyukliiski, Alexander Zhendov, Stoyan Venev, Sirak Skitnik. The Bulgarian sculpture is also developing: Boris Shaz and Zheko Spiridonov, Andrey Nikolov and Ivan Lazarov, Lyubomir Dalchev, Vaska Emanouilova, Marko Markov, Ivan Funev give it its foundation.[18][19][20][21][22][23] But the development of Bulgarian art continues to develop vigorously and independently in our time also.[24][25][26][27][28]
The relatively warm climate and diverse geography afford excellent growing conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits, Bulgarian cuisine (българска кухня,bulgarska kuhnya) offers great diversity.
Famous for its rich salads required at every meal, Bulgarian cuisine also features diverse quality dairy products and a variety of wines and local alcoholic drinks such asrakia (ракия),mastika (мастика) andmenta (мента). Bulgarian cuisine also features a variety of hot and cold soups, for exampletarator. Many different Bulgarian pastries exist as well, such asbanitsa, a traditionalpastry prepared by layering a mixture of whiskedeggs and pieces ofBulgarian cheese withfilo pastry and then baking it in an oven.
Traditionally, Bulgarian cooks put lucky charms into their pastry on certain occasions, particularly onChristmas Eve, the first day ofChristmas, orNew Year's Eve. Such charms may include coins or small symbolic objects (such as a small piece of adogwood branch with a bud, symbolizing health or longevity). More recently[update], people have started writing happy wishes on small pieces of paper and wrapping them in tin foil. Messages may include wishes for happiness, health, long life or success throughout the new year.
Bulgarians eat banitsa — hot or cold — forbreakfast with plainyogurt,ayran, orboza. Some varieties include banitsa withspinach (спаначена баница,spanachena banitsa) or the sweet version, banitsa withmilk (млечна баница,mlechna banitsa) orpumpkin (тиквеник,tikvenik).
The Bulgarianlyutenitsa (лютеница) is a spicy mixture of mashed and cooked tomatoes, aubergines, garlic, hot peppers and vegetable oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley. Variations of lyutenitsa exist in the national cuisines of mostBalkan states.
Tripe soup (шкембе чорба,skhembe chorba) takes as its basis the thick lining of the cleaned stomach of cattle, prepared with milk and seasoned with vinegar, garlic and hot peppers. Under Ottoman rule, the sultans allegedly preferred tripe soup made by Bulgarian cooks, whose mastery in preparing the dish remained unmatched in the Balkans. In addition, Bulgaria is included in the Michelin catalog because of its rich cuisine and traditional dishes.[29]
Exports ofBulgarian wine go worldwide; and until 1990 the country exported the world's second-largest total of bottled wine. The rich soil, perfect climate and the millennia-old tradition of wine-making, which dates back to the time of theThracians, contribute to the wide variety of fine Bulgarian wines. As of 2007, Bulgaria produced 200,000 tonnes of wine annually,[30] ranking 20th in the world.[31]
Bulgaria's media are generally deemed unbiased, although the state still dominates the field through theBulgarian National Television (BNT), theBulgarian National Radio (BNR), and theBulgarian Telegraph Agency. Bulgarian media have a record of unbiased reporting, although they are deemed potentially at risk of political influence due to the lack of legislation to protect them.[32] The written media have no legal restrictions and newspaper publishing is entirely liberal.[33] The extensive freedom of the press means that no exact number of publications can be established, although some research put an estimate of around 900 print media outlets for 2006.[33] The largest-circulation daily newspapers includeDneven Trud and24 Chasa.[33]
Non-printed media sources, such astelevision andradio, are overseen by the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), an independent body with the authority to issue broadcasting licenses. Apart from a state-operatednational television channel,radio station and theBulgarian News Agency, a large number of private television and radio stations exist. However, most Bulgarian media experience a number of negative trends, such as general degradation of media products, self-censorship and economic or political pressure.[34]Slavi's Show andGospodari Na Efira are among the most popular TV programs, both having more than 1,000,000 views per show.[35]
The Bulgarian National Television also produces cultural programmes such asArt Detective, created and presented bySimona Krasteva.
Internet media are growing in popularity due to the wide range of available opinions and viewpoints, lack of censorship and diverse content.[34]
Bulgaria is officially asecular nation and the Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion but designates Orthodoxy as a "traditional" religion. Most citizens of Bulgaria have associations — at least nominally — with theBulgarian Orthodox Church. Founded in 870 AD under thePatriarchate of Constantinople (from which it obtained its firstprimate, its clergy and theological texts), the Bulgarian Orthodox Church hadautocephalous status since 927 AD. The Church became subordinate within thePatriarchate of Constantinople, twice during the periods of Byzantine (1018 – 1185) and Ottoman (1396 – 1878) domination. It was re-established first in 1870 in the form of theBulgarian Exarchate, and then in the 1950s as theBulgarian Patriarchate.
Islam came to Bulgaria at the end of the fourteenth century after the conquest of the country by theOttomans. It gradually gained ground throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries through the introduction ofTurkish colonists. One Islamic sect,Ahmadiyya, faces problems in Bulgaria. Some officials have moved against Ahmadis[36] on the grounds[36] that other countries also attack the religious rights of Ahmadis, who many[36] Muslims regard asheretical.
In the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, missionaries from Rome converted BulgarianPaulicians in the districts ofPlovdiv andSvishtov toRoman Catholicism. Today[update] their descendants form the bulk of Bulgarian Catholics, whose number stood at 44,000 in 2001.
Missionaries from theUnited States introducedProtestantism into Bulgarian territory in 1857. Missionary work continued throughout the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century. In 2001 Bulgaria had some 42,000Protestants. In the 2001 census, 82.6% Bulgarians declared themselvesOrthodox Christians, 12.2% Muslim, 1.2% other Christian denominations, 4% other religions (Buddhism,Taoism,Hinduism,Judaism) and zero percent atheists.
Buddhism,Hinduism andTaoism became popular among Bulgarians in the time ofperestroika and especially after the fall of communist regime[37] and are usually a co-religion or co-belief to Bulgarians who otherwise are Christians (Roman Catholicism or Orthodoxy). Among these Eastern (Asian) religions Buddhist centres are officially registered in Bulgaria as religious denominations. The number of followers of Buddhism has increased gradually in recent years also due to the influx ofVietnamese citizens (predominantly Buddhist) to Bulgaria.[38]
According to the most recent Eurostat "Eurobarometer" poll, in 2005,[39] 40% of Bulgarian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 40% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", 13% that "they do not believe there is a God, spirit, nor life force", and 6% did not answer.
Bulgarian traditional clothing is diverse, and every ethnographic area in Bulgaria has its distinct styles.Bulgarians call their traditional clothing 'носия' (nosiya).
Mass Media: In 2006 Bulgaria's print and broadcast media generally were considered unbiased, although the government dominated broadcasting through the state-owned Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and print news dissemination through the largest press agency, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency. [...]Human Rights: In the early 2000s, Bulgaria generally has been rated highly on the issue of human rights. However, some exceptions exist. Although the media have a record of unbiased reporting, Bulgaria's lack of specific legislation protecting the media from state interference is a theoretical weakness.
Bulgaria's small Ahmadi Muslim community is concerned by persistent attempts by a local prosecutor and the national state Religious Affairs Directorate to strip it of its legal status