ORTHODOX BULGARIA CELEBRATES EASTER

In 2015, Orthodox Bulgaria celebrates Easter on 12th of April.

Brightly coloured eggs and Easter breads known as "kozunak" are the prominent symbols of Easter in Bulgaria.

As part of the tradition, people dye hard-boiled chicken eggs, the first of which is painted red to represent the blood of Christ. The hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed Tomb of Christ — the cracking of which symbolizes his resurrection from the dead.

Traditionally, eggs were decorated by using natural colors. Some people still use old techniques of dying by cooking eggs in water with onions, walnuts, roots and different herbs. Over the years, with the changing trend, people have started embellishing their Easter eggs with synthetic colours and dyes.

The traditional braided sweet bread, kozunak, symbolizing the body of Christ, is a necessary item of the Easter table everywhere.

Many people attend the church service, where at midnight, between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, the priest announces 'Christ is Risen!' They walk around the church three times and then carry their lit candles home with them to ensure luck and prosperity in the coming year. People usually take Easter eggs and breads to be blessed by the priests in the church.

The egg cracking is a tradition in Bulgaria. It starts from the first minutes of the Easter Sunday. People take turns cracking their decorated eggs against the eggs of others. The holder of the last unbroken egg is said to be the winner and is believed to have great luck, health and fortune for the next year.

Easter Sunday itself is celebrated with a large family meal, rich in tastes and typically including roasted lamb with rice and herbs stuffing, spring green salad and sweet Easter breads.