Some interesting traditions during the New Year`s Day

New Year`s Day is a special Day for the Bulgarians because the festival calendar begins with this Day. The First Day of the New Year is also called St. Basil`s Day or Vasil`s day or “survaki”.


On January the First every year young people and especially children go from house to house to offer New Year`s wishes for good health, prosperity, happiness and fruitful New Year throughout the coming year. They sing special songs containing these wishes and carry “survaknitsa”. What is actually “survaknitsa”?! This is a rod , cut from a cornel tree, adorned with brightly colored threads, dried fruit, popcorn and small round pieced of bread, colorful handkerchiefs. In some schools there are exhibitions for the best made “survaknitsa”. The children slap the householders on the back and sing or tell poems. Everybody is happy because the New Year could bring more positive thoughts and good luck. The children are given buns, nuts, sweets and coins. The children are very pleased with these small gifts.

Another very popular custom on this day is “banitsa”. This is a custom which has been preserved through the centuries. What is “Banitsa”?! It is a kind of cheese pie which contains charms. These charms are secretly put during the preparation of the pie. After baking the cheese pie, each family member takes a piece and looks for charm which may promise different things during the coming year. It is very funny because everybody expects what is the charm and when the charm is not the expected then there are lots of jokes for this family member. Charms could be: health, happiness, going abroad, new car, new house, money,etc. Everybody is lucky because everybody starts the New Year with much more hope and faith in the better future.