BULGARIA

Casa Europa Mexico presents...

The Republic of Bulgaria, its official name, is located in southeastern Europe. It borders Romania to the north, Turkey and Greece to the south, and North Macedonia and Serbia to the west. Its eastern strip consists of coastlines along the Black Sea. The territory of Bulgaria features mountainous areas, such as the Balkans, and low, fertile plains in the Danube River region to the north and the Thracian plains to the south. It boasts approximately 540 rivers, with the Danube being the most voluminous and serving as a natural border with Romania.

For Spanish, click → Bulgaria

The official language is Bulgarian, but Turkish and regional dialects are also spoken, as well as Romani, spoken by the Roma minority, which has a significant presence. The Cyrillic alphabet, used in Slavic languages ​​like Russian, is employed, and it was actually developed in this region alongside the Bulgarian language, which was the first written language in Eastern Europe. The predominant religion is Orthodox Christianity.

Bulgaria's history dates back to the Neolithic era, as evidenced by archaeological findings dating from 3,000 to 4,000 BC. Subsequently, during antiquity, there were episodes of conquest by Alexander the Great and Roman occupation until the First Bulgarian Empire was established in the 6th century AD, which was contemporary and as powerful as the Byzantine Empire. In the following centuries, there were two more Bulgarian empires until the monarchy was abolished in 1944. After World War II, around 1946, Bulgaria became a people's republic with a totalitarian regime aligned with the Soviet Union. It wasn't until 1990 that the country held its first democratic elections. Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union since 2007.

The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia. Those who have been there for leisure or business agree that it is a city as formidable as it is unforgettable for being so different from the capitals of Central Europe; this is because historical cultures, such as the Byzantine and Ottoman, converge with a touch of Soviet-era concrete and interpreted modernity in a very unique way.

Perhaps most appealing, to certain tastes with a well-educated eye, is the religious art both in architecture and in the paintings and sculptures found in churches, basilicas, cathedrals, and monasteries, mainly in Sofia, but also in smaller cities like Plovdiv or Varna. The art and style emanating from Orthodox Christianity are different in many ways from those of Catholic Christianity.

Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia

In the Boyana neighborhood, if you visit the National History Museum, you will be surprised by the content of the exhibitions, and you will not stop smiling when you think that precisely there was a residence during the communist period—twists of fate or twists of history... The Archaeological Museum, the Regional History Museum of Sofia, and the Museum of Socialist Art are three other essential points to learn a little about the historical development of this city.

En el barrio de Boyana, si vistas el Museo Nacional de Historia te sorprenderás por el contenido de las exposiciones, y no dejarás de sonreír al pensar que precisamente allí fue una residencia del período comunista ―azares del destino o vuelcos de la historia… El Museo Arqueológico, el Museo Regional de Historia de Sofía y el Museo de Arte Socialista son otros tres puntos esenciales para aprender un poco del desarrollo histórico de esta ciudad.

As a discerning gourmet, you are well aware of yogurt and its properties and uses in cooking. You have also heard of bacilli, lactobacilli, or Bulgarian bacteria, haven't you? Well, the best yogurt in the world, produced in Bulgaria, is called kiselo mlyako by the locals, which means sour milk, and it is special because it is made with a bacterium that only occurs in Bulgaria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which ferments or curdles the milk and gives life to yogurt.

Casa Europa Mexico recommends...

To get an insight into Bulgarian traditions, this YouTube video helps us understand that they are very varied, so much so that upon watching it, you'll know that bagpipes are not exclusively played in Scotland. (The video is narrated in Bulgarian with English subtitles.)

You can also read about some Bulgarian customs, habits, and curiosities on this travel blog:

http://www.greturviajes.com/viajes-a-bulgaria/blog-bulgaria/costumbres-y-tradiciones-en-bulgaria

References from the internet:

Image credits appear at the bottom of the corresponding image.

Text adaptation: Homero Adame

Bulgaria text translation into English: Pat Grounds