Christmas Eve is one of the most revered holidays in the Bulgarian ritual calendar. The table should be filled with many dishes, and its preparation is one of the most important rituals of the year. A specific dish for this holiday is Tselovarki. Learn more about the holiday and the traditional recipe.
Christmas is a celebration of family, joy and good wishes. On this day, the family traditionally gathers at the table. Fudula is a typical dish for Christmas in Razlog region. Learn more about the holiday and the traditional recipe.
Christmas in Razlog is known as Bozhik. Christmas Eve or the ritual dinner against Christmas (December 24) in the region is called “Nayadka”. The hostess rolls a pumpkin pie, which in the past was baked on a hot plate on the hearth. Traditionally, various lean dishes are prepared, as this is the last day of the 40-day Christmas fast – boiled beans, sarmi, stuffed peppers with bulgur (crushed wheat), beans or rice, boiled and raw wheat, oshav, onion, garlic, walnuts, honey, lean pies such as cabbage (with cabbage or leeks), etc. It is widely believed that the dishes should be an odd number, seven or nine, and somewhere twelve.
When everyone sat down at the table, an incense was lit, and a prayer was read. A piece of pumpkin and a full glass of wine were placed in front of the icon of the Holy Mother of God. The next day the children were given little of the wine and the pumpkin.