Oi, this is your guide to our weird traditions! 

This page is here to help you feel more at home and reduce any culture shock during our Bulgarian wedding. Bulgarian weddings are centered around three things: dancing, eating, and drinking—in generous amounts!

 

1. Dancing (Especially the Horo!)

Bulgarians love to dance, especially the horo—our traditional group dances where everyone holds hands and moves in a circle or line. There are a few horo dances you're guaranteed to see:

The Bride’s Horo: The bride leads this dance with a basket in one hand. If you want to stand next to her, you’ll need to "pay". 
The Best Man’s Horo: The best man leads this one.  (All other traditions connected to the best man are to try and get him drunk.) 
 

I am leaving a few tutorials here, if you feel like you want to impress our grandmas and grandpas:  

Pravo Horo (Beginner) 
Wedding Horo (Intermediate)
Eleno Mome (Beautiful folk dance)
Chichovo Horo (Advanced – do this and win a bottle of vodka!)

 

2. Gorchivo! – The Kiss Command

If you want to see the bride and groom kiss, shout “Gorchivo!”It means “bitter”, and we make things sweet by kissing! At some point, we’ll ask the best man how the wine tastes—he has to say it's bitter. That's how he cues the kiss.

​

3. Bride Stealing

Yes, it's a thing! In a humorous tradition, the groom pretends he won’t pay the symbolic "ransom" for the bride. There’s usually some mock struggle before he’s allowed into her home. Then he needs to find her. After he finds her, he needs to find her shoe. The Bride usually says that the shoe doesn't fit, it's too big, so to make it fit, he has to put some money in it. 

 

4. Pogatcha Battle – Who Wears the Pants?

The bride and groom break a special wedding bread together. Whoever ends up with the bigger piece is believed to be the future leader of the household.

​

 5. Bucket of Flowers – Predicting the First Baby

The bride kicks a bucket containing two flowers: one red and one white.

•  Red comes out first = first child will be a girl.

• White comes out first = it’ll be a boy.

• Both at once? Congrats—you’re having twins!

 

6. Zahranvane  (Bread, Honey, and Chubritsa )

Both mothers (of the bride and groom) offer bread dipped in honey or sprinkled with chubritsa (Bulgarian salty spice) to the couple. Who the mother feeds first—their own child or the new family member—says a lot about how they’re welcoming them into the family.

​

7. Church ritual 

The Orthodox church ritual is better seen live. The one thing they won't explain is that the best man needs to make sure he does not crash the two crowns off the heads of the bride and groom; if he does crash them, the family will fight. 

 

In Bulgaria, the father usually doesn't hold a speech, but the best man does. Since we are a progressive family, our maid of honour will also hold a speech ( I know feminism!).  

Outside of some Bulgarian, some Greek and some Serbian songs, it will be music  we all know. You can check the music we have prepared as a mood here:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72QG2Y9dMfUR5V5xiLMnyF?si=eqS4PC2QQY-WLskAg1oPtQ