BULGARIA
Bulgaria is a parliamentary Republic with a constitution passed in the year of 1991. The country of Bulgaria was founded in the year 681 AD.
Head of the country:
President, chosen by direct elections for 5 year mandate. Since 21 Jan 2002 president of Bulgaria is George Purvanov.
National coat of arms, anthem and flag:
The state coat of arms is a lion, standing in a red shield with a crown on his head and below it, there is an inscription saying: "The Union makes us powerful". National anthem – the song “Dear Motherland”. The national flag has three colors: white, green and red.
Population:
7,973,671 people. Men: 3,888,440. Women: 4,085,231. Population in towns: 5,500,695, Population growth: –5.1%.
Geographical location:
Bulgaria is located in the Eastern Part of the Balkan Peninsula, in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered on the west by the new states of former Yugoslavia, on the south by Greece and Turkey, on the north by Romania and on the east by the Black Sea, which links it also to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. The Black Sea borderline is 378 km (240 miles) long. The country’s total territory is 111 000 sq. km (43 000 sq. miles).
Relief:
Bulgaria arrange with a variety of natural forms, located in the range of altitude from zero to 2,925 m. Its territory includes part of the lower Danube Plain, The Balkan Range – part of the Alpine-and-Himalayan chain, part of the Thracian lowland and to the south – the mountain structures of the Macedonian-Thracian massif. The best-known mountain ranges are Rila (highest peak Mussala – 2,925 m.), Pirin (Vihren – 2,914 m.), Stara Planina or the Balkan range (Botev Peak – 2,376 m.), and the Rhodopes (Golyam Perelik- 2,191 m.) as well as Mount Vitosha (Cherni Vrah – 2,291 m.)
The mountains occupy half of this country’s territory, with the high-mountain relief – i.e. an altitude above 1,600 m, comprising 5 % of its entire area. The Bulgarian mountains are easily accessible and the presence of towns and villages in them that have preserved the authentic Bulgarian spirit and hospitality, gives a chance for receiving and accommodating tourists at village houses.
Rivers in Bulgaria:
The longest rivers on the territory of Bulgaria (in km): Iskar (368.0 km), Toundga (349.5 km), Maritsa (321.6 km), Osum (341.0 km), Struma (290.0 km), Yantra (285.5 km), Kamchiya (244.5 km), Arda (241.3 km), Louda Kamchiya (200.9 km) and Roussenski Lom (196.9 km).
Climate:
The predominant climate in Bulgaria is moderate and transitional continental. (2,000 to 2,400 hours of sunlight per year). Four seasons. The average year temperature is approximately 12 °C. Cold winter with snowfalls, average temperature: 0 °C. The July temperature ranges between 16° and 27° C. Along the Black Sea, the average July temperature ranges between 19° and 30° C. Average year rains between 500-600 mm.
Religion:
86.6% of the population are Orthodox Christians, 13% are Muslims. The Bulgarian Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch.
Official language:
Official language – Bulgarian, based on the Cyrillic alphabet, also used are: German, English and Russian languages. Main labels of towns, villages, resorts, railway stations, airports, highways are written both with Cyrillic and Latin letters.
Traditions
Cuisine:
Bulgarian food is close to the traditional European cuisine. Traditional Bulgarian menu includes bread, yogurt and fresh milk, cheese, tomatoes, paprika, potatoes, onions, beans and fruits, brandy and red or white wine.
Some typical Bulgarian specialties and meals:
• Shopska salad - prepared from diced tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, green peppers, topped with feta cheese and seasoned with olive oil and parsley
• Mlechna salad - prepared from strained yogurt seasoned with olives, crashed walnuts, finely diced garlic and parsley
• Tarator - cold served soup from yogurt, fresh cucumbers, seasoned with walnuts, garlic and dill
• Sirene po Shopski - feta cheese, diced tomatoes and onion topped with egg and cooked in pottery
• Kebapche - minced meat rolls seasoned with traditional spices and fine herbs and barbequed
• Kuyfte - minced meat balls seasoned with traditional spices and fine herbs and barbequed
• Shish Kebab - grilled skewered meat, onion and paprika
• Banitsa - baked pumpkin pastry filled with cheese or meet
• Creme Caramel - delicious dessert prepared from fresh milk, eggs and caramelized sugar, similar to the classic French crème brulee.
• Restaurants: Wide variety of cuisines is offered. Along with traditional Bulgarian dishes, many restaurants offer Italian, French, Greek, Chinese, German, Arabian, Hungarian, Latin American, Indian and Russian food.
• Drinks and prices: You can buy alcohol from any local store or pavilion on the street. Some of them work 24 hours.
Custom:
Kukery: The masquerade games and customs in Bulgaria have an ancient origin and could be observed as inherent to the ancient heathendom. With their strange clothes made of fur, cut shirts or women’s clothes, sewn up of bands, a mixture of national costumes and animal masks and horrifying faces, with continuous ringing bells of different in size and sound, these masquerade games and customs with their lively dancing ritual steps reflect the eternal fight between Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. On the last Sunday before Lent, masked koukery perform ritualistic processional dances to ward off evil spirits and ensure fertility at the onset of the growing season.
Baba Marta – Martenitsa: On 1 March we celebrate the beginning of spring. The day is called Baba Marta (or Grandma Marta in English). On that day you give a special present called a "martenitsa" to all the people you love. A "martenitsa" is small, two colored and made of thread - white and red. Usually they (the martenitsas) look like a girl and a boy together. When someone gives you a martenitsa you should wear it either on your neck or pinned on your shirt until you see a stork. After that, you can hang it on a blossoming tree for fertility
Nestinarstvo (fire dancing): Nestinarstvo (Fire-dancing) is one of the most mysterious phenomena in Bulgarian history and folklore. May 21- the day of Saints Constantine and Elena -Nestinarstvo, or fire dancing, practitioners walk barefoot on hot coals in small rural villages in the Strandzha Mountain (or increasingly in tourist resorts) in this pagan event marking the arrival of summer. It is believed that the ritual is descended from Dionysian rites practiced by ancient Thracians. The mistress of the house got up long before sunrise to bake a fresh round loaf, decorated on top with different symbolical images and magic signs designed to ensure rich crops. She would also cook a chicken stuffed with rice, and fill up a buklitsa (a wooden wine bottle) with wine.
Bulgarian wines and wine production:
History: The Thracian tribes worshipped the god Dyonissios as the patron of wine. With the establishment of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD, Bulgarians inherited the experience and the traditions of the local population in the cultivation of grapes and wine producing. The winery that was found in the region of Preslav dating from the 7th to 10th century AD is a testimony to that.
Wine industry: Today, grape growing and wine production play an important role in the Bulgarian economy. The wine industry contributes to the steady development of rural regions and infertile areas, maintains the ecological balance, and encourages the appropriate and efficient use of the country's resources.
Favorable conditions: There are numerous types of grapes and wines. The great number of sunny days in the southern parts of the country favors the red wine species, and in the North the white wine ones.
Prominent varieties: Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon from Svishtov, Sliven, Yambol, and Oryahovitsa; Mavrud from Assenovgrad and Perushtitsa; Merlot from Stambolovo and Sakar; Gamsa from Pleven, Suhindol and Novo Selo; Wine from Melnik. White Wines: Traminer "Khan Krum" from Preslav and Shoumen; Aligote from Lyaskovets; Misket from Straldja; Sauvignon Blanc from Targovishte; Chardonnay from Rousse and Slavyantsi; Rose from Bourgas; Muskat from Pomorie and Varna.
Transport
Bus Service:
There are regular bus services between Albena, Golden Sands, St. Konstantin and Varna, and between Elenite, Sunny Beach, Nessebur, Ravda, Sozopol, Primorsko and Bourgas. Tickets are purchased at a kiosk by the bus stop or onboard the bus by the driver. In bigger cities like Bourgas, Varna, Plovdiv or Sofia tickets has to be clipped by passengers on entering the bus. Please retain the ticket during your journey. It is an easy system and fares are quite low - journey between Bourgas and Sunny Beach (~40 km).
Currency:
The official monetary unit in Bulgaria is called "LEV" (plural "LEVA"). The banknote denominations include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 LEVA, as well as coins - 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 called „stotinki” („stotinka for singular).
Approximate exchange rate: 1 EURO = 1,96 BGL
Custom's Formalities and Limitations:
Upon crossing the state border of the Republic of Bulgaria passengers may import and export commodities that in type, quantities, and value are not of a commercial nature. These do not include objects the passenger carry for personal use and consumption objects. Passengers have the right to import at no custom duty or import fees the objects necessary to the foreign individuals for their stay in the country, which in their type and quantity correspond to both purpose and the duration of their stay, as well as consumption objects: - tobacco products (passengers over 16 years of age) - cigarettes - 200 items, or other tobacco products - 250 gr.; - alcoholic beverages (passengers over 16 years of age) - wine - 2 liters, and alcoholic liquors - 1 liter; - other drinks: coffee - 500g. alternatively, coffee extract - 200g. tea - 100 g. or tea extract - 40g.; - perfumes - 50 ml. and toilet water - 250 ml. Passengers who are under full 16 years of age are not entitled to duty-free import of the commodities listed above, except for medications. Passengers older than 16 can import duty-free commodities acquired abroad other than those listed above of a total value up to US$ 100 or the equivalent in other currency units. For passengers under 16 the duty-free import rate for commodities acquired abroad is US$ 50 or their equivalent in other currency units. Personal use objects, new and used, which a passenger may normally need during one's trip, taking into account all circumstances of the travel, are placed under the regime of temporary import with a full exemption of all customs dues. Re-exporting personal belongings cannot take place later than the moment when the natural person who has
imported them is leaving the customs territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Beaches:
All beaches in all resorts are public and free of charge, only sun beds and umbrellas are available for extra charge, at different prices in each resort.
Rent a car:
In Bulgaria, you can rent a car of different models. Average value is from 20-80 euro per day. There are many local as well as foreign companies such as Hertz, Europcar, where you can rent a car. The necessary documents to rent a car are valid driving license, international passport and deposit.
Taxi:
All cabs in Bulgaria are yellow. You can ask at the reception desk for a cab, order by phone or just stop a passing one on the street.
Important Telephone Numbers:
• Police – 112;
• Emergency medical aid – 112;
• Road assistance – 112;
Medical Attention:
In each resort, there is a polyclinic, where tourists can receive medical attention. There is a charge for these services, which varies from resort to resort, but costs are generally low. Please, keep all receipt for insurance claims, but be aware that most policies have an excess. You must always contact your Insurance company DIRECT on your return.
Exchange rate:
The exchange rate is not fixed and fluctuates within 3-5%. Please, note that old or marked notes and coins are not accepted. Traveller’s cheques carry higher commission. Please, do not rely on credit cards for local purchases. Access and Visa are not generally accepted. Cash machines are available in bigger cities and resorts.
Shops:
Working hours from 9.30 until 18.00.
Time zone
+2 hours GMT
Voltage:
For electric razors 220 V, 50 GHz.
The official holidays are:
January 1st – New Year’s Holiday;
March 3rd – National Holiday;
Easter, and the first Monday after Easter;
May 1st – Labor Day;
May 6th – Gergyovden (Saint George's Day), and the Day of the Bulgarian Army;
May 24th – Cyril and Methodius Day;
September 6th – Unification Day;
September 22nd – Independence Day;
November 1st - National Day of the Bulgarian Revival Leaders;
December 24th, 25th, and 26th – Christmas Days;