Szab Fanni

Analysing the culture of Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a country in south-eastern Europe bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and
Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. With a
territory of 110,994 square kilometres Bulgaria is Europe's 16th largest country.

In this essay Im going to analyse the culture of the country, overview the stereotypes and
mention some interesting facts and traditions to make the writing more enjoyable and less
factual.

So lets start with the basics: Bulgarias capital city is Sofia which is the largest city in the
country. In Sofia take place the most commercial and cultural activities and it is one of the top
ten countries to start-up business in the world. It is also the most affordable capital city to visit
as of 2013. The official language of Bulgaria is, of course, Bulgarian which is a Slavic
language officially written with the use of the Cyrillic alphabet but can be transliterated into
the Latin alphabet. The system is based on making the transliteration correspond to English
sounds and it rather uses ch, zh, sh characters than , , , and y is used instead of j.
In informal writing however, we can see Bulgarian people using q for writing the letter
instead of the official ya version. Also the letter , which in pronunciation resembles the
Hungarian sound, is written in many different ways in informal writing, such as a, u, y,
1.

So, what about their culture and beliefs? First of all, religion plays a central role in Bulgarian
life and most Bulgarians follow the Orthodox religion. The church played an important part
during the Ottoman period and acted as a default support system for Bulgarian people.
Despite the fall of the Soviet Union, the Bulgarian church experienced a revival and people
started to celebrate religious holidays again so baptisms and church weddings also gained
popularity. The other main element in the life of Bulgarian people is the role of the family.
The families are usually extended; even several generations may live together and it serves as
a main back-up for many people in the country.

Now that we have some basic ideas about Bulgarian society, about their writing system and
their main approach towards life, I would like to continue my essay with analysing the culture
in details according to Hofstedes dimensions.
Bulgarias motto is goes as it follows: , which means Unity
makes strength and it suggests the first standpoint of the country when it comes to the
question of collectivism and individualism. Bulgaria scored 30 in this part so it is considered a
collectivist society. People there think unity and supporting their fellow countrymen are
essential points of the society. Bulgarians are integrated into social groups but lately they
started to experience a shift to individualism. To further illustrate this approach, we have to
mention the Individualized Education Plan Meetings claim: There is no Individualized plan
for a child in Bulgaria, Bulgarian students are educated as a group and individuals are only
referred to help them perform similar to their peers.

Now that weve discussed Bulgarias most important social factor, lets continue with power
distance and Bulgarias approach towards hierarchy. One really common characteristic of
collectivist societies is to respect hierarchy and live according to it. Even at school, Bulgarian
kids are discouraged to speak up or to take the initiative and they are taught to listen and obey.
According to data, Bulgaria scored 70 on this dimension which means people in higher
position are respected, the oldest people are greeted first and they are served the best food at
the table.

As the motto of the country suggests, Bulgaria is a society which values relations, unity and
working together with others. Those countries which score high on masculinity are driven by
competition, achievement and success, but this cannot be said about Bulgaria. The country
scored 40 on masculinity which means that it is considered to be a feminine society. Since its
a collectivist society, it is obvious that they put emphasis on this in the area also, focusing
mainly on well-being and leisurely activities.

The highest score Bulgaria has reached is 85 on uncertainly avoidance which means that they
establish rigid codes or believes and reject everything which goes against unorthodox
behaviour and ideas. This approach is not really surprising since, as I mentioned earlier,
Bulgarians are really in fond of religion and follow the rules and traditions which are provided
by it. It might seem a bit of a contradiction that Bulgaria scored so high on this because it
means they are oriented towards hard work and precision while femininity is focused on
relationships and flexibility. However, according to my experiences with Bulgarian people,
they are expected to study hard and find a job which pays good. On the other hand, Bulgarians
like to celebrate and enjoy social gatherings so you can often see pictures of them partying
with at least 10 people.
This area is connected to long-term orientation where Bulgaria scored 69. As mentioned in the
previous section, they are expected to study hard and plan their future in order to live a secure
life. They have high tendency to save and invest money, to be persistent and achieve their
goals.

Lets finish this section with the lowest score Bulgaria has: 16 on indulgence. This dimension
is concerned with peoples control over their emotions and impulses. With this score, Bulgaria
has a very restraint society which does not put much emphasis on leisure time and the
gratification of their desires.

In the second part of this essay I would like to mention some interesting facts and experiences
about Bulgarian culture in general.

Bulgaria is very famous for rose oil export so a typical Bulgarian must love roses. They also
export the oil for famous perfume industries in France and also countries such as the USA,
Japan and China. Another interesting product is their yoghurt which is made from a special
ingredient called Lactobacillus bulgaricus that is found only in Bulgarian air. This makes
Bulgarian yoghurt really unique and delicious when eaten with honey or fruit jam. To stick
with food, the Bulgarian national food is Shopska salad which is made of diced cucumbers,
tomatoes, raw or roasted peppers and is sprinkled with Bulgarian white brine cheese. This
goes perfectly with their national beverage called rakia which is very similar to the
Hungarian plinka.

Now lets talk about the Bulgarian nature and the people living there. What might be the most
shocking for a foreigner is that Bulgarians shake their heads when they agree and nod when
they disagree with you. This can be a really confusing part of non-verbal communication and
can lead to huge misunderstandings if we are not aware of this fact. Furthermore, I would like
to mention some stereotypes I came across during interaction with Bulgarian people. A
common stereotype is that all Bulgarians are football fans. Of course, this is really general and
not true to every member of the society, but I did notice that Bulgarians have a thing for
football. My friends for example follow the latest football games and have many pictures
holding football emblems and flags, so there might be some truth to it. Another frequently
mentioned characteristic of Bulgarians is that they love spending money. Although in
Hoftstedes dimensions they scored high on long-term orientation, the stereotype of a person
who doesnt mind spending is still around. They even have a saying:
, which means they are saving white money for black days.
Extending the picture, according to a Bulgarian writer, if no one hates you in Bulgaria, you
are no one. I dont want to feel good. I want my neighbour to feel bad. goes the saying
which indicates another negative but rather humorous stereotype of Bulgarian people.

Now that we have some ideas about food and the nature of the society, we can move on to
interesting traditions. Bulgarian culture has rich tradition and celebrations and they are taken
very seriously. The most interesting tradition may be the celebration of Jordans Day on
January 6. According to one custom, a priest throws a cross into a river or lake and all willing
men jump after the cross in a competition to reach and retrieve it. This is however not the only
Jordans Day tradition. The other one is the icy round dance where men dance in the freezing
water to traditional Bulgarian tunes. This custom is most popular in the town called Kalofer
but has been practiced in other places as well. Another important holiday which I need to
mention is the Kukeri carnival which is unique because of the scary masks people wear and
the ringing of the huge bells they attach to their waist. It is either celebrated around New
Years Eve or on Cheesefare Sunday and the best place to view these spectacular costumes is
the city of Pernik on the days of the Surva masquerade festival in late January or early
February each year. The last tradition I would like to mention is the Sacred barefoot dance on
fire which is a tradition still remaining near the Turkish border. The mystical ritual includes
dancing on burning embers and according to the myth, the dancers fall into a state of trance
by a sacred drum so they reduce the pain. If we want to see this tradition, the best place to
search for it is in the Greek-speaking close to the Black Sea.

In conclusion, Bulgaria has rich culture and unique traditions which make urban life more
interesting and enjoyable. They are definitely fond of religion, food, drinks and cultural
events which add a bit of a flavour to their lives. If we are interested in Slavic cultures and
their way of life in general, Bulgaria is a great place to visit and can be a fascinating cultural
experience. Since every country has its own spectacular sights and features, it is important to
give a chance to less popular countries for a visit. We never know; we may even fall in love
with culture of Bulgaria.
References:

http://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/bulgaria-guide

https://geert-hofstede.com/bulgaria.html

http://www.slavorum.org/20-facts-about-bulgaria-that-you-didnt-know/

https://routes.tips/blog/15_interesting_facts_about_bulgaria