Bulgarians marked Sunday the so-called Tsvetnitsa-Vrabnitsa holiday, which is the Orthodox equivalent to the catholic Palm Sunday.Held annually on the last Sunday before Easter, Tsvetnitsa is one of the biggest Bulgarian holidays, rich in a variety of customs, songs and melodies.
Being one of the most beautiful spring holidays it celebrates the day of the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, when he was welcomed with palms and olive branches.
Early in the morning on Tsvetnitsa the young girls who have been `lazarki` on the previous day go to the nearest river. After they find a place where the water is calm they put pieces of traditional bread on willow barks and throw them into the water.On Tsvetnitsa-Vrabnitsa all those named after flowers, plants or trees celebrate their name day.
The Lazarovden ceremonies, called Lazarouvane, are among the best-loved Bulgarian traditions. The Saturday before Easter is a festival devoted to young girls, pastures, fields and woods. In Bulgaria's village communities, Lazarovden was quite an event in the life of every young girl, for then she could demonstrate to the townspeople that she had already grown to be a "complete maiden". The girls would gather in groups of about ten at the house of the prettiest one and start from there with their songs to make a round of the village. The songs sung on St Lazar's Day praise the beauty of the maiden and her lover, the industry of the farmer, the purity of maternal love and express wishes for happiness and prosperity.
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