Traditional holiday meals

Nikulden [ December the 6th ] 
The traditional Nikulden meal in each household is based upon a fish meal - “ribnik” - a carp in dough - is traditional for the holiday. Carp is regarded as Nicholas' servant. There are also two special loaves of bread. The food is blessed at church or at home before being served. After wafting incense over the food, the host raises the bread high, and breaks it in half. He keeps one half while the other one is left on the table. It is on Saint Nicholas' Day that the table is open to all guests and is not cleared before the day is over. Relatives, sponsors and neighbors are invited, the table is sanctified and the feast day ends in songs and fun.ь

Christmas [ December the 24th ]

This is the most important family event of the year. There are always walnuts on the table. Traditionally, wheat is boiled and dishes such as boiled haricot, leaves stuffed with rice or grouts, and stewed dried fruit are cooked. Wheat grains and the Ignazhden (Saint Ignatius’ Day) kolaks (ring-shaped cake) are also put on the table. After the festive mass starting at 12:00 am on December 25, all should drink a sip of wine so that the divine blessing should come upon them as fasting ends. A place at the table is left vacant for the deceased (relatives or other dear people). The table is not cleared for the night because people believe that the deceased will come to dinner. The return to meat and dairy comes on Christmas day, with, one should hope, a cleansed mind and spirit for the coming year.

New Year's Eve [ January the 1st ]

Traditional feast is organized on New Year's Eve with special dishes on the platter for the evening, with more than few meat dishes, pig head, a plain cake, and cheese pastry customary meant to be available. The cheese pastry has few fortune slips in it, with one slip meant to be drawn by everyone present in the feats. After a turn and motion of three times, everyone is offered to choose a slip. It is followed by the distribution of the spitted bread pieces by the oldest person present in the feast in a decreasing order of the age. It is then followed by the distribution of the pig's head. Pork is saved on the Eve to be distributed on New Year's Day. 

Easter

The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter for the Orthodox Christians all over the world. It is tradition that the eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The eldest woman in the house has the privilege of dying the eggs.

The Easter breads are a worldwide Orthodox tradition as well. These are big or small and decorated. The bread is called "kolache" or "kozunak". One of these Easter breads may be specially decorated with one or more (but always an odd number) of the red-colored eggs. This bread is taken to church on Saturday evening. The church bells begin to ring just before midnight, calling Orthodox Christians to worship.

Gergiovden [ May the 6th ]

St. George’s Day - "Gergiovden" is celebrated in Bulgaria on the 6^th of May and traditionally roast lamb (usually whole) is eaten on this day. St. George, the dragon slayer is celebrated as the patron saint of livestock.