Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Roma begin three days of New Year celebrations

Photo: BGNES

The Roma New Year celebrations begin tonight and will last for three days. For the Roma people, Vasilitsa, or better known as Bango Vasil (literally "limping Vasil"), is perhaps the most revered family holiday.

Families gather for dinner, the houses are locked and no one is allowed to go outside. On the table are roast chicken, cake, boule bread with a penny hidden in it (to bring wealth to whoever gets the piece with the coin) and sarmi (dolmas) with lucky charms of dogwood buds. At midnight, when the New Year begins, the doors of the house are opened to guests. But first the children have to greet the adults and wish them good health and happiness.

 According to legend, Bango Vasil is Saint Basil the Great - he came to the rescue and rebuilt a bridge destroyed by the devil so that the Roma could cross it. He became their saint and patron saint.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Two-thirds of adult Bulgarians are overweight

A roundtable discussion on the need for a national program to combat obesity will be held today in the National Assembly.  An expert report on the topic "The (Un)Beatable Pandemics - Obesity" states that Bulgaria is in 5th place in Europe in..

published on 9/30/25 6:05 AM
Chief commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov

Over 43,000 euros found in those who demanded bribes from drivers of Robbie Williams' equipment

The two employees of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration", who demanded bribes from foreign truck drivers transporting equipment for Robbie Williams' mega show, have been fired , brought to criminal liability and detained for 72 hours...

published on 9/29/25 7:05 PM

Partly cloudy skies and autumn-like temperatures expected on Tuesday

On Tuesday, the lowest temperatures will range from 5°C to 10°C, up to 13°C along the Black Sea coast. In Sofia the lowest temperature will be around 6°C. It will be mostly sunny during the day. In the afternoon, cloudiness will increase over the..

published on 9/29/25 6:30 PM