Today is Lazarov’s Day! It is the first of the three major holidays associated with Easter. We celebrate it the day before Palm Sunday and eight days before Easter.
In the folk tradition, Lazarovden is one of the most life-affirming holidays.
It is a symbol of the rebirth of nature for new life. In our traditions, the day becomes a celebration of the fields, pastures, forests and in general of the surrounding vegetation and nature.
The traditions of Lazarovden
It is precisely on this belief that the custom of Lazarovane, widespread throughout Bulgaria, rests. The maidens gather before dawn and go round the fields and houses, singing ritual songs for health, fertility and prosperity. Dressed in traditional costumes and to the beat of the song, they perform their dance.
In its center is the head of the family they visited. The host, in turn, presents them with eggs, which are then painted for Easter. The ritual continues with names for the other family members.
After the blessings have been served, the lazarkas are invited to a specially prepared table, on which the bread with salt, leeks, onions and fruits are placed. There should also be two bowls on the table – one with honey and the other with water.
Tsvetnitsa and the symbolism of the holiday
Lazarus Day and the Lazarus rituals foreshadow the Sunday on which the second major Christian holiday before Easter is celebrated – Palm Sunday.
On this day, a liturgy is celebrated and willow branches are blessed, symbolizing the palm leaves with which people paved the way of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem. Wreaths are woven from the willow branches, which believers take to their homes for health.
In folk beliefs, Palm Sunday is perceived as a celebration of spring, when nature marks its new beginning. Therefore, flowers are honored on this day as a symbol of the beginning of a new life.
Flowers are often sung in Bulgarian folk songs. Some because of their healing properties, and others because they serve against lessons and protect against evil eyes. That is why those who bear the names of flowers, plants and trees celebrate on this day.
Palm Sunday is the holiday after which we really start to feel the scent of spring with all the colors it offers us. This is the moment when nature finally wakes up to a new life, and together with it we begin to feel the pleasure of the increasingly long days and the emotions that their warmth fills us with. Palm Sunday is the holiday that begins the season of fertility and prosperity.
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