Monday, February 20, 2012

President's Day

Today is President's Day in the United States. To most Americans, I think, the holiday itself doesn't hold too much significance but it does sometimes mean having a three-day weekend (at least that's true for students). For my younger cousins in Seattle, today is the beginning of a week-long vacation aptly called "midwinter break." However, I really don't think that this holiday has anything to do with the memory of American presidents.

Of course, all kids know about politics and history from an early age they learn from their parents. My parents were ardent supporters of the Clinton electoral campaign and took me, a toddler, along with them to protest rallies against the Gulf War. When Bill and Hillary Clinton came to Seattle in 1992, I was there in the crowd cheering them on. All I understood was that Clinton was a Democrat (although I didn't know what that meant), and that it was a good thing he got elected. I remember as a four year old child making Bill Clinton a card for President's day. I cut out little pieces of construction paper and made a very realistic drawing of the President making a speech in crayon. We mailed it to the White House and a few weeks later I  received a reply. The letter, printed on official stationary, started something like "Dear Young Person: Thank you for your interest in (such and such) issue..." and was clearly a general response template. But it was still a proud moment for my parents, who laminated the letter as a keepsake.

Here in Bulgaria there isn't an official President's Day but there are plenty of other big holidays which commemorate important historical figures and events. Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Vasil Levski, who was the most emblematic freedom fighter during the war for Bulgaria's independence from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. In fact, most of these holidays are related to that historical period because it was the beginning of the modern Bulgarian state. March 3rd marks Bulgaria's independence day and September 6th marks the unification of the two territories that were combined to form its current boundaries.

The most interesting of these holidays for me, however, is June 2nd- when Bulgarians remember the death of another revolutionary hero and poet, Hristo Botev. I knew nothing about this custom last year when one of my classes went silent for about two minutes as sirens blared across the whole country. Afraid to interrupt this somber memorial (all of my students were standing at attention in complete silence), I waited until the sirens stopped to ask what was going on. I remember thinking how different this practice was from how we Americans commemorate our struggle for independence, and how much more emotional and vivid the impact would be for young people learning about this period in history. I think that part of the reason for this is the fact that Bulgaria is a much younger country than the United States, and therefore the memory of these events is clearer. One thing is for sure: this period in history was an extremely turbulent and traumatic one, and the breakdown of the Ottoman Empire dramatically changed the landscape of this region. It's admirable, from an outside perspective, that the poetry and memory of Botev still have such an influence on the public imagination and national identity today. 

Sunday, February 19, 2012

A little slice of Poland in Sofia

Today I went with my friend Patrick, who happens to have a very entertaining new blog on public transportation in Sofia, to the Polish grocery store. It's located in Krasno Selo, which isn't that far from where I live unless you're going on foot or with public transportation. We rode the metro for three stops then took the number 5 tram to the Krasno Selo market and walked to the shop (about 40 minutes). Even with all of the melting snow making it especially messy to walk around the city, it was definitely worth the trip. I got some dried sausages (kabanos), pickles (ogurki), herring (sledz) and beetroot soup (borszt)- it was the instant kind, not pictured. 


As I imagined, the shop didn't have everything I wanted (Zubrowka vodka?!) but it did have a lot of good stuff and it's nice to know that I can find these products here. In some small way they remind me of my Polish family and lots of memorable visits to Warsaw. Hopefully I'll be making a return trip soon- after all, they don't sell my aunt's homemade pierogi or potato pancakes here!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Happy V-Day


What's better than the fact that there is a holiday dedicated to wine in Bulgaria? The fact that there is a wine brand with my name on it! Seriously though, Trifon Zarezan is one of my favorite Bulgarian holidays. It's one of the last big winter celebrations and it also happens to coincide with Valentine's Day. February 14th is, thankfully, nowhere near as commercialized here as it is back home. But I have always enjoyed it in spite of the fact that you can't walk ten feet around Valentine's Day without being bombarded with little paper hearts, candy boxes and flowers. When I was a kid my Dad used to always give us Valentine's Day gifts and I fondly remember writing little Valentine notes to all my friends. This year was special because I got to spend the holiday with my Valentine. Dinner and a movie, chocolate and red roses were the perfect way to spend a cold night in February. 

I hope that everyone is keeping healthy and warm. This is the perfect weather to just stay indoors with a glass of wine and a good movie... Na Zdrave!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Carnival Season

Two weeks ago I went with some friends to the annual Surva Festival in Pernik, Bulgaria. This is an international carnival fair with lots of performers from different regions around the country as well as from places like Serbia, Italy, Lithuania and China. Everyone pretty much congregates on the main square, where they have a stage set up with a panel of judges and each group comes forth with a performance. This is usually a traditional ritual dance that includes a mock wedding, bear-baiting and even fire dancing. 


Here are a couple of half-dressed performers warming up. There were thousands of participants over the weekend, and some really amazing costumes. Kiril took much better photos of the festival than I did and you can check them out on his website. As you may know, I attended the same festival last year with some American Fulbrighter friends. In comparison, I think that this year was better organized and seemed to flow more smoothly than last year. But overall it was almost the same. However, I don't remember seeing so many international groups then so maybe they've expanded somewhat. 

I am a big fan of carnival season. I love watching "mummers," or whatever you want to call them, in all their beautiful costumes and the jovial atmosphere that can be such a welcome release from all the winter gloom. I  love watching the colorful parades and warming up with a hot drink (preferably mulled wine) and I especially love meeting people and learning more about the history of these customs from a local friend. I have been lucky enough to have had this experience in three different countries so far, and I hope to increase that number in the future! Here are some photos from other carnival celebrations I've seen around the world:


Mohacs, Hungary- February 2009. Busojoras are the people who dress up in scary animal costumes to drive away evil spirits. These "busos" also carry large wooden sticks, which they might hit you with for good luck. They also like sneaking up from behind pretty ladies and lifting them up in the air. Something about fertility? At the end of the day, everyone in the town gathers around a huge bonfire and dances in a circle! Of course, there was a lot of drinking involved. 


Me and my gorgeous friend Jolie all dressed up for Mardi Gras in February 2008. Born and raised in New Orleans, she invited me to come back with her and celebrate Mardi Gras with her family. I think that everyone associates New Orleans with Mardi Gras, so I don't need to go into an explanation here. But I would like to comment that if you do go, you've got to see some of the smaller parades and not just hang out in the French Quarter with the other tourists. I felt so lucky to have someone show me around and I felt like I really got a taste of the "real" Mardi Gras experience.  


One day we wandered into a neighborhood bar and caught a performance by a band of "Mardi Gras Indians," who make up a very unique tradition involving elaborate feathered costumes and their own mix of Native American call-and-response, chants and Afro-Caribbean music. The famous "Iko Iko" song is one of the often-covered hits performed by the Mardi Gras Indians. On this particular occasion I got to hear the song live, and it was one of the highlights of my trip. There about 38 tribes of Mardi Gras Indians, and their history stretches back before the American Civil War. Another interesting thing about the Indians is that in parades their most sought-after throw (that is, something they give to parade-goers) is a decorated coconut. 

So there you have it, my love of carnival season all in one not-so-little post. Now if only the "evil spirits" of winter would magically vanish and bring the warmer weather back... I'm freezing over here!