Lina's+Europe+Project

=Bulgaria= toc

Bulgaria is a European country, located in southeastern Europe. Bulgaria contains an abundance of religion, art, and different types of food. Most Bulgarians tend to be part of the Orthodox Church, as it is the main religion of the country. It has also been known for its arts, as well, though there has been an decline since the fall of the socialist society. The food can be quite diverse as well, especially during ceremonious holidays within the country. Overall, Bulgaria's culture is that of an artist's palette, with many different varieties of artwork, foods, and religions.

Religion
Most Bulgarians are born into the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the main religion of this country. This church has played a role in the sense of being “Bulgarian” as well, as the supporting system under the Ottoman and Communist rule. Despite the Communist attempts, the church held steady, and by the fall of the Soviet Union, the church experienced a revival. The people of Bulgaria were then allowed to celebrate religious holidays, and the number of baptisms and marriages became increased in popularity. However, many are still Atheists, which can be credited to the state government’s attempt to disprove religion.

There are still small numbers of other religions, such as Judaism, Muslims, (otherwise known as Pomaks,) Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Gypsies. However, both Orthodox Christians and Islamists incorporate a few pagan beliefs and rituals into their religions. The Orthodox Church is headed by a patriarch, which presides over the Holy Synod, (otherwise known as the Church Council,) which contains a hierarchy of regional archbishops, bishops, and priests. Nuns and monks practice a life of religious devotion and scholarship at monasteries, as well. Meanwhile, the Chief Mufti (otherwise known as the religious judge,) governs over the muslim community with an hierarchy of regional muftis, imams, and religious teachers.

Art
During the state socialist period, the state had funded for the arts. The state sponsorship caused art to flourish throughout the region, with the intent of preserving folklore, heritage, and tradition. However, since the fall of state socialism in 1989, art funding by the state has fallen greatly. Entrepreneurship upon the subject of art is quite crucial, whereas before, salaries and programming had been handed out by the Ministry of Culture. Overall, it has been a tough transition upon artists within the area.

Among many of these arts are literature, graphic arts, and performance arts. Bulgarian literature had started with the Old Church Slavonic in the late-ninth century century C.E. The earliest writings were rather religious, although as time went on, writings began using much more modern vocabulary. Folklore began to be gathered and published, and today, early modern literature has begun, and is continuing to become the core of literature studies within the Bulgarian education system.

As for graphic arts, Bulgaria’s graphic art traditions had originally began within the Orthodox Christian icon and the fresco painting. Some medieval artworks are even world famous, and are crucial within the history of art itself. An example of this would be the frescos in the Boyana church near Sofia. Folk arts and crafts thrive, and several traditions come alive in wood carving, ceramics, weaving, and many other types of textile arts. Graphic arts are, without a doubt, something that have described the country for years to come.

Bulgaria has a wide variety of performance arts, with its rich palette of dance, music, and theater. This would range from folk music to classic and modern opera, and even jazz and even western-style popular music. Not to mention that, since the mid-1880’s, many varieties of folk and folk-influenced musics have made their popularity outside of Bulgaria. The kinds that are particularly prominent are women’s vocal music and wedding music. Many traditional folk musicians are commonly gypsies, and performances are generally focused around weddings, with a flair of spontaneity. Bulgaria also has theater, opera, and ballet to offer. Under state sponsorship, Bulgarian cinema had spikes of activity in the 1970’s and 1980’s, though recently, only five to ten movies are produced annually.

Food
Everyday diets often consist of purchased bread, rather than homemade. Dairy products are often consumed as well, and yogurt and white-brined cheese seem to be the majority of these. Homemade meals usually tend to include bread, cheese, sausage, and vegetables when away from home. Otherwise, it would include stews, soups, salads, grilled meats, or stuffed vegetables. Many citizens can use fruits and vegetables for sauerkraut during the winter, when fresh produce is unavailable or unaffordable. Fish are also often gathered from fish among the sea, vegetables among the plains, and dairy products in mountainous areas, courtesy of local environmental conditions. Due to the fall of the socialist society, conditions have caused meat and dairy consumption to fall.

During Easter, some Orthodox Christians have a Lenten fast, where Muslims avoid eating in the daylight during Ramadan. In the Islamic tradition, numerous dishes are generally served and sweets are exchanged upon Ramazan Bairam. A ram or calf is also slaughtered for the purpose of a ritual in Kurban Bairam. Kurban stands for sacrifice, and refers to a boiled meat dish that is only prepared for ceremonial occasions. Another popular dish for ceremonies include spit-roasted sheep or goat. During Christmas Eve, numerous dishes include meatless dishes. Many of these dishes include stuffed cabbage leaves, beans, lentils, boiled wheat, dried fruit, and nuts. As for Christmas itself or New Year’s, fortunes arrive in the form of coins, cornel cherry twigs, or slips of paper inserted into banitsa or bread. Special holiday breads include the Easter’s braided kozunak, which can be decorated with dyed eggs.