Bulgaria celebrates the Horse Easter

On February 20, 2010, on the first Saturday after the Forgiveness Sunday, Bulgaria will celebrate one of the most beloved folk holidays, Tudorica (Todorov Day) or the Horse Easter. This holiday is dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Tiron, who died as a martyr in the name of the Christian faith. On the icons St. Theodore is usually depicted riding a white horse, therefore, beginning from 864, he is considered to be the patron saint of horses and landmarks associated with them. Horse in Bulgaria is considered to be an exceptional animal and is revered by them, because not for nothing the ancient Bulgarians were considered as the best riders in the old days.

On this day, the horses receive special attention and care, from early morning they are brushed, combed and rubbed with spices and interwoven into mane and tail the decorations made of semiprecious stones. The women bake special ritual bread in the form of a horse or a horseshoe. Horses and young women who were recently wedded are fed with the slices of bread. By tradition, on this day will be certainly organized racings (in Bulgarian kushii), in which the better rider showed the best skills in the horse riding will be awarded with the prize. Also on the Todorov Day are held Easter fairs and street festivities.

Although Tudorica is celebrated throughout Bulgaria, with a special scale the Horse Easter is celebrated in the fashionable mountain resort of Bansko, in the south-west of the country just 3 hours drive from Sofia. On this day in a small town are held theatrical performances, storytelling about the history of the city, demonstration horse performances and horse races, which are culminated in a spectacular evening of the fireworks.

Situated at the foot of the Pirin Mountains Bansko, in fact, is the open-air museum. In the city are located perfectly preserved buildings of the XVII-XIX centuries with the peculiarities of the national architecture of the period of the Bulgarian Renaissance, when Bansko was the cultural, craft and trade center. Tourists will get real pleasure from visiting the Holy Trinity Church, which was built in 1835. Due to the neighboring beautiful national "Pirin" park the presence in the suburb of the curative thermal springs and a developed tourist infrastructure, Bansko stands in the same row with the prestigious ski resorts in Europe.