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If your next purpose of travel is #food and local culture, North Macedonia is offering you a unique experience. Macedonian destinations are not offering you just a good meal or a glass of wine during a trip, it’s driving you through the #history, #culture and #local sources of its products and their #journey to the plate.
#Macedonian taste of every single bite or sip of wine and the smell of the fresh ingredients it is a way of immersing yourselves into the culture and heritage of a region.
Travellers know best that food offers a gateway into other cultures, through taste, through food preparation and the whole eating environment. It embodies cultural identity and individuality, giving the tourist and travellers an insight into a new experience, the exotic, the unusual and a deeper insight into the place they are visiting. The tangible aspects of Macedonian food and drink provide a knowledge base into the religion, traditions, customs and history of places.
If you dares your next trip to be more personal and #authentic making the experience memorable in a completely unique way, than this wine and food destination is challenging to be explored by you. 

North Macedonia is a small country in the southeastern part of the #Balkan #Peninsula, surrounded by land on all sides. Yes, every country has its own story about the sun, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the archaeological sites, the history, the tradition and the culture. Stories, more or less intriguing, depend on the personal curiosity. However, the thread that connects everyone, the thread that weaves the hours spent in #exploring and verifying any eventual story, coloring the day and the mood, is the segment that everyone takes for granted with #pleasure - the food.

It provides a kind of an immediate taste of the history and the culture, the inevitable ingredient of the #gastronomy art; undoubtedly one of the key elements of the material cultural #heritage, one of the factors of a particular nation’s identity, of a certain geographical area. It is indeed an individual choice how one explores North Macedonia. After all, as we have stated, North Macedonia is a small country and it only takes from two to four hours’ drive to any particular destination.

Don’t forget to start your meal with #Meze ! The cold appetizers in North Macedonia are sometimes called prolonged meze. In Macedonian meals, they are a true prelude to the main course. #Ajvar, another appetizer, is the pride of Macedonian cuisine and is characteristic of wintertime. The recipe, which includes red peppers, is one of the biggest secrets of the Balkan kitchen. It’s traditionally prepared at home, in yards and gardens. The best known dish in our country is #Tavche #Gravche, beans never taste better.

For those who are fish lovers’ Macedonian cuisine has old and authentic recipes. Our people say that the fish swim three times – in the water, in the pot and in the wine. In North Macedonia there are lakes and rivers which are characterized by incredible cleanliness, thus there is tradition of fish specialties and flawless wine used to prepare some of them. One of these specific traditional recipes is “Drunken carp”. This fish can be found in Prespa, the town in which the recipe is best prepared. 
Don’t forget to Cheers with good #wine. Wines that are producing on each part of North Macedonia are wines that are made of growing up of the best quality grape.
North Macedonia is destination for those who are in search for authentic experiences, opportunity for individuals wanting to move forward in the time of new world challenges. 

As of 9 April, #Bulgaria ranks 39th out of 53 affected countries in the number of confirmed #COVID-19 cases. For the past 7 days the country maintains a slight growth rate of confirmed cases - an average of 6.14% per day.

In its efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, the Bulgarian government follows the instructions and recommendations of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (#ECDC) and the World Health Organization (#WHO). 

The latest temporary #travel restrictions in Bulgaria are: 

- Prohibited entry of persons arriving from the following EU Member States and Schengen countries: Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Iceland, Lihtenstein, Luxemburg.
- Prohibited entry of non-EU citizens into the country.

The latest temporary internal restrictions in Bulgaria include:

- Prohibited travel between regional cities unless of emergency.
- Prohibited visit of parks playgrounds and sports grounds.
- Prohibited shopping for citizens under the age of 60 between 8:30 and 10:30.

Hopefully, the increased control introduced by the authorities will help Bulgaria get through the crisis as soon as possible.

Sources:
Ministry of Health of Bulgaira: www.mh.government.bg/en/ministry/
World Health Organization: www.who.int/

The spread of the #COVID-19 virus poses great challenge to the tourism industry. We at #GoBalkans understand that preserving health is crutial at the moment and we support the strict travel restraint measures imposed by the autorities.
Our team remains available to you, our partners. And we keep on doing our best to assist you through these difficult times. With mutual trust and patience, we will overcome this crisis and continue to organize incredible trips in the #Balkans.
In the meantime, we are taking you to a photo trip to Northern #Macedonia straight from your #home.

The territory of Bulgaria has been inhabited since antiquity, as the country’s many ancient settlements and burial mounds attest. Present-day Bulgaria was a cradle of some of the earliest civilizations in Europe – the oldest gold ornament ever discovered, unearthed in the #Chalcholite necropolis near Varna, is evidence of that. From the age of Ancient Thrace we have inherited valuable cultural monuments, including tombs (such as the Kazanlak tomb, the Aleksandrovska tomb, and the Sveshtarska tomb); #treasures (the Panagyursko, Rogozensko, and Valchitransko teasures, among others); and sanctuaries and temples (at Perperikon, Starosel, Kozi Gramadi, Begliktash, and elsewhere).

The cultural interaction between the #Thracians and the #Hellenistic #civilization were particularly dynamic. Many cities and towns heavily influenced by Greek culture were established between 6th-2nd century BC in Thrace, Misia and along the shores of the Black Sea. In the middle of the 1st century AD, all Bulgarian lands became a part of the Roman Empire. Many architectural and archaeological monuments have been preserved from this period, such as the Ancient Theater and the Roman Stadium in Plovdiv, and remains of the #Roman cities Ulpia Escus, Nove, Nikopolis ad Istrum, Nikopolis ad Nestum, Augusta Trayana, and Abritus.

After the dissolution of the Roman #Empire, the present Bulgarian lands came under the control of the East Roman Empire, later called Byzantium by historians. In the second half of the 7th century, the proto-Bulgarians settled in what is now Northeast Bulgaria. They united with the #Slavs to form the Bulgarian state, recognized by Byzantium in 681. The head of the state was the leader of proto-Bulgarians Han Asparuh, and the city of Pliska was declared the state’s capital.

During the reign Han Krum (803-814), to the west Bulgaria bordered on the empire of Karl the Great, and to the east the Bulgarian armies reached the gates of the Byzantium capital, Constantinople. In 864, during the reign of Prince Boris I (852-889), Bulgarians adopted Christianity as its official religion, which makes Bulgaria one of the oldest Christian states in Europe.

At the end of the 9th century, the brothers Cyril and Methodius created and disseminated the Slavonic alphabet. Ohrid and Veliki Preslav became centers of the Bulgarian and Slavonic culture. From Bulgaria, the Slavonic alphabet spread to other #Slavonic states as well. To the present day, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Macedonia and Belarus still use the Cyrillic alphabet, with rules of orthography established by the students of Cyril and Methodius and their followers in the Bulgarian capital Preslav. The reign of Tsar Simeon the First (893 – 927) is famous as the Golden Age of Bulgarian Culture, and the borders of the country at that time reached to the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea.

In 1018, after protracted warfare, Bulgaria was conquered by #Byzantium. In 1186, the uprising led by the boyar brothers Asen and Peter, freed Bulgaria from Byzantine rule, establishing the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, with Tarnovo as its capital.

The former might of Bulgaria was restored during the rule of their youngest brother Kaloyan (who ruled from 1197-1207), and during the reign of Tsar Ivan Asen the Second (1218-1241), the Second Bulgarian Kingdom reached its zenith, achieving political hegemony in Southeast Europe. It expanded its borders to the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and greatly developed its economy and culture. Some of the most important monuments preserved from that time are the wall paintings in the Boyana church, the churches in Veliko Tarnovo, the Zemenski #Monastery, the Ivanovski Rock Churches, the miniatures that illuminate the London Gospel, and the Manasiy Chronicle.

At the end of the 14th century, the country was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. In the first years of Ottoman rule there were scattered attempts to liberate the country. Later the Hayduk movement created the preconditions for an organized national liberation movement.

The Bulgarian #Revival began at the beginning of the 18th century, when the Bulgarian #church, educational institutions, and culture were re-established. The beginning of the organized national liberation movement to throw off the #Ottoman yoke is marked by the activities of Georgi Rakovski (1821-1867), and key figures in the liberation movement are Vasil Levski (1837-1873), Lyuben Karavelov (1834-1879), Hristo Botev (1848-1876), among others.

In April 1876, the April Uprising took place. This was the largest and the best organized attempt to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman domination. The uprising was brutally suppressed, but it placed the struggle for Bulgarian sovereignty at the center of international political discussions.

In 1878, with the Russian defeat of #Turkey, the Bulgarian state was restored. The Berlin Congress (1878) divided the former Bulgarian territories into three parts – the Principality of Bulgaria, ruled by a prince, Eastern Rumelia, with a Christian governor appointed by the sultan, with Thrace and Macedonia remaining under Ottoman control. Alexander Battenberg was selected as the first prince of the Bulgarian Principality.

Bulgaria’s first constitution was adopted in 1879, and was one of the most democratic constitutions of its time. In 1885, the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia united. In 1908, the Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand Sachsen-Coburg-und-Gotha proclaimed Bulgaria’s independence from Turkey, and he was then declared Tsar of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom.

Bulgaria was victorious in the Balkan War of 1912, when together with Serbia and #Greece the country gained the independence of Thrace and Macedonia. However, discord among the former allies led to the outbreak of the First Balkan War (1913), in which Bulgaria was defeated. As a result, territories predominantly inhabited by Bulgarians were cut off from the state. The participation of Bulgaria in the First World War on the side of the so called Allied Powers ended in national catastrophe. The Neuilly Peace Treaty (1919) imposed strict sanctions on Bulgaria, and the country lost much of its territory. In the Beginning of the 1940s, Bulgaria’s foreign policy reflected the interests of Germany and the Axis powers. In 1941, Bulgaria entered the war on the side of the Axis, but the Bulgarian army did not participate in the battles on the Eastern Front. During this time, Tsar Boris the Third, representing the general consensus, refused to deport some 50,000 Bulgarian Jews. Of all European countries, only Denmark and Bulgaria managed to save their Jewish populations from the Nazi gas chambers. In the autumn of 1944, Bulgaria joined the Allied Forces and actively participated in expelling the German forces from Southern and Central Europe.

After the Second World War, Bulgaria came under the political and economic influence of the #USSR. In 1946 the country was declared a republic and the Bulgarian Communist Party came to power. All political parties except for the so-called Fatherland Front (Otechestven Front) were forbidden, the economy and the banks were nationalized, and the agricultural land was organized as collectives.

The #democratic changes in Bulgaria started at the end of 1989, when multi-party elections were held and a new constitution was adopted. At this time Bulgaria began its transition to democratic development and a market economy. Its foreign policy was redirected towards rapprochement with European institutions. Since 1991, Bulgaria has been a member of the Council of Europe, and in 2004 Bulgaria became a member of NATO. In 1995, it filed an application to join the European Union, with negotiations commencing in 1999. On 25 April 2005, the Accession Treaty granting the Republic of Bulgaria the right to join the European Union was signed in Luxemburg. On 1 January 2007, after fulfilling all membership criteria, Bulgaria became of full-fl in #Luxemburg was signed edged member of the #European #Union.

Official Tourism Portal of Bulgaria

Every year on 1st of March, Bulgarian people celebrate a centuries-old tradition called the day of Baba Marta (baba means ‘Grandma’ and Marta means ‘March’), related to sending off the winter and welcoming the approaching spring. 
Wearing and giving martenitsas
On that day and a few days afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear the so-called “Martenitsas” – decorative pieces of red and white twisted threads, symbolising health and happiness and a lucky charm against evil spirits. The Martenitsas are given away to friends, family and colleagues and are worn around the wrist or on clothes. In some villages in the mountains people decorate their houses and domestic animals.
Martenitsa is made of twined red and white threads – woolen, silk, or cotton. The most typical Martenitsa represents two small dolls, known as Pizho and Penda. Pizho is the male doll, usually in white colour. Penda is the female doll, usually in red colour and distinguished by her skirt.
Martenitsas come in a variety of shapes and sizes: bracelets, necklaces, tassels, pompoms and balls.The white is a symbol of purity, innocence, beauty and joy. The red is associated with health, vitality, fertility and bravery.
According to the tradition, people wear Martenitsas for a certain period, the end of which is usually associated with the first signs of spring – seeing a stork or a fruit tree in blossom. After that people can tie them on a blossoming tree for fertility thus giving the tree health and luck, which the person wearing the Martenitsa enjoyed while wearing it.
Baba Marta in the Bulgarian folklore
In Bulgarian folklore, Baba Marta is a mythical figure who brings with her the end of the cold winter and the beginning of spring. Baba Marta is believed to be a grumpy old lady whose moods swing very quickly and it reflects in the changeable March weather. The belief was that when she was smiling the weather was sunny and warm, but if she got angry the cold would stay longer. By wearing the red and white colours of the Martenitsa, our predecessors asked Baba Marta for mercy. They hoped that it would make winter pass faster and bring spring.
Young and old would take care to keep Baba Marta in a good mood. Young would get up early before anybody else in order to meet the first day of March and rejoice Baba Marta with their youth and beauty. Old women would knit twisted strands of red and white threads to decorate the house. They were believed to protect people from diseases and evil forces. The housewives used to hang out red aprons, belts, rugs or twisted threads in front of their houses, hoping that when Baba Marta saw them, she would laugh and make the Sun shine bright again.
The custom of wearing Martenitsa is probably one of the most interesting Bulgarian traditions. According to one of the many legends, this tradition is associated with the founding of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD. The first martenitsa was made by Ahinora, the wife of Khan Asparuh (the founder of Bulgaria) in the second half of the seventh century, when Asparuh crossed the Danube and found the Bulgarian lands. Ahinora, while waiting for her husband, decided to send him wishes for good health and prosperity. She tied a twisted white and red thread to the leg of a swallow and send the bird to deliver the message for health and love.
​01.03.2017 BNT News

          Today will be given the start of the XXVI International Festival of Masquerade Games in the city of #Pernik, Bulgaria. It is a pagan ritual and part of the Bulgarian folklore. Survakari or Kukeri are the people, traditionally only men, who perform the rituals of #Surva. They put on special masks, hand-made by each of the participants. Most of the masks are made of wood. Different colored threads are glued on it as well as pieces of multicolored fabrics, mirrors and other shiny elements. The masks represent a ram, a goat or a bull. They hang bells on their waists, which is another protection against the evil. The Kukeri aim to scary and sweep away forever the evil spirits with the help of special magic dances and the scary masks, and sing songs for health, fertility and luck during the new year.
         The beginning of the festival in Pernik goes back to 1966. Since 1985 it has a status of international event. Usually it is held during the last weekend of January. On Saturday and Sunday you can watch the parade of different groups from all over Bulgaria and abroad. Annually for these 2 days Pernik becomes so lively and crowded with Bulgarians from various regions and foreigners from Europe and even abroad, who have come to Pernik to watch the festival, to feel the spirit of Surva, to learn more about Bulgarian folklore and to have fun all together.
For this year’s schedule you can read more at: en.surva.org/schedule.php

     On 17.12.2016 Bulgarian ski resort #Borovets will celebrate its 120th anniversary. This is considered to be the first resort in Bulgaria. In 1896 the first vacation house was built there and then the Bulgarian ruler – knyaz Ferdinand built the palace “Tsarska Bistritsa”. Until 1942 the village was named Chamkoriya (“Pine forest” from Turkish), then it took the name Borovets (it means the same, but this is the Bulgarian name).
          Palace “Tsarska bistritsa” is located only 2,5 km. north of Borovets. It was a hunting lodge for Tsar Ferdinand I and his son tsar Boris III. In 1898 the building process of the palace began and was finished in 1914, when it consisted of few palace buildings and a park, through which Bistritsa river passed along. Nowadays only the park is open for visitors.
     In the 60’s and 70’s of XX century the resort became ski-oriented with the construction of first Alpine-style hotels and installations for skiing and other winter sports. Through the years it became the most important winter resort in Bulgaria. In 1981 and 1984 it hosted the Alpine Skiing World Cup and in 1993 - Biathlon World Championship.
        Located 70 km. away from Sofia, it is a preferred destination for skiing by the capital residents. The road from Sofia to Borovets is very beautiful, passing through the magnificent Iskar defile. The close distance to Sofia makes it suitable for one day excursions, but the plenty of hotels, restaurants, bars and ski slopes can make you stay longer.

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     Today, 06.12., we celebrate the feast day of #St.Nicholas. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor in III-rd century. He became a bishop in the city of Myra. During the reign of Diocletian and Galerius Nicholas was prosecuted and imprisoned. In 342 he died in Myra and was buried in the cathedral there. On 09.05.1087 his relics were sent to Bari, Italy.  Because of the miracles, he has made, he is also known as Nicholas Wonderworker. He is considered as a patron saint of the sailors, fishermen, merchants, falsely accused, children etc. He secretly gave gifts to the people, especially to the poor ones and this led to the traditional model of Santa Claus.​

    In Bulgaria this day is called “Nikulden” and it is a name day of all people with names linked to Nicholas. Traditionally on the table is served carp – it may be stuffed with walnuts, rice, onions, tomatoes or raisins. Another traditional dish with carp is called “ribnik” – a carp in dough. Since Nikulden is during the fasting period, on the table should have meatless meals such as roasted peppers, beans, boiled corn. The bread and the ribnik are blessed in the church or at home and parts of them are given to the neighbors. On this day to the family dinner are invited relatives and neighbors. In Bulgaria Nicholas is very common name, so at almost each home there is a family celebration. 

             Tomorrow, 22-nd of September, Bulgaria will commemorate 108 years since her Independence was declared. On 22.09.1908 Bulgarian knyaz #Ferdinand proclaimed with manifest the independence of Bulgaria. The event took place in #Veliko Tarnovo, at the “ Holy Forty Martyrs” church (Sv. 40 Velikomachenitzi). In the period between 1878 (the liberation of Ottoman rule) and 1908, Bulgaria was a vassal principality of the Ottoman Empire. The city of Veliko Tarnovo was chosen intentionally – there in 1185 was proclaimed the #Second Bulgarian Kingdom.  That is to show the link between the Second and Third Bulgarian kingdom. On that day in 1908 Bulgarian knyaz Ferdinand got the title “tsar” (king).
         Nowadays, 22 September is an official holiday in Bulgaria. In Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and many other cities tomorrow there will be official program, dedicated to the special day. The National Guards will perform a military ceremonial. In the National History Museum in Sofia will be shown the Manifest, with which Ferdinand declared the independence. If you happen to be in Bulgaria on that day, enjoy the spirit of 22.09!