One typical springtime festival is ‘lazaruvane’ on St. Lazar’s Day, which is celebrated eight days before Easter. This is the day of the resurrection of Lazar, but it is also the day of the fields, pastures and forests. The rite is performed by young girls (‘lazarki’), considered fit for marriage. They go from house to house, perform ritual dance and songs and wish fertility to the household. For this the girls are granted with eggs, money and homemade bread. In the afternoon they gather again for their luck and settling down to be foretold.
Tsvetnitsa/Vrubnitsa or Palm Sunday
This is one of the biggest Bulgarian holidays and it is held annually on the Sunday before Easter. It is said to be the day of the fields, meadows and forests and celebrates the day of the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where he was welcomed with palms and olive branches. That is why people in Bulgaria usually get willow branches, consecrated in the church. They decorate their homes with these and keep them through the year to bring luck, health and happiness to all the people in the household.
St. George’s Day/Gergiovden
It is celebrated on the 6th of May and is dedicated to St. George the Victorious who is usually depicted on icons as a rider on white horse, holding a lance in his hand, stabbing it in the throat of a dragon (lamia). He is said to have saved the shepherds and their sheep from the beast and today people sacrifice a lamb in honour of the saint. Special homemade breads are prepared and doors are covered with flowers. Early in the morning people go to the river and wash from themselves their sins and at noon a ritual meal is held for the whole family.
