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

The tradition of sending Easter cards in Bulgaria dates back to the Liberation

Photo: Iztok Zapad Publishing House

When we have a special occasion where we meet relatives or friends, as a sign of respect and as a memory, we usually present them with a gift, complete with a beautiful card. In the past, the card received was kept as a cherished memory and even passed down from generation to generation. The beautiful images are donated both for personal and other occasions, such as the Christian holidays of Christmas and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Bulgaria turned out to be one of the first countries in Europe that allowed the sending and production of postcards - this tradition began as early as 1879, immediately after the Liberation.

The history of Easter-spring cards in Bulgaria is told in a book by Dr. Petar Velichkov - literary historian, journalist and poet. The first Bulgarian Easter card in his collection is from 1898 - a color lithograph of a scene of the Resurrection of Christ in a series of paintings. The text on the obverse reads: "Christ is Risen!". Printed in the town of Samokov by the Lesichevi Brothers publishing house.


In a richly illustrated publication entitled "Easter and Spring Cards from the Third Bulgarian Kingdom" (1878-1946), the researcher includes both cards produced in the West in special editions for Bulgaria, as well as those drawn by Bulgarian artists and printed in specialized children's books and magazines .

You will find more details about how the appearance of the postcard changed in a publication from the Radio Bulgaria collection dedicated to the first Easter cards in Bulgaria: For the first Easter cards in Bulgaria



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

Priceless exhibits chronicle the Unification proclaimed 140 years ago in Plovdiv

It was 1883 when construction began in Plovdiv on the building of the Regional Assembly of Eastern Rumelia, based on a design by architect Pietro Montani. Eastern Rumelia was an autonomous Bulgarian province within the Ottoman Empire and one of the..

published on 9/5/25 6:40 PM

The motives behind the Party House arson remain shrouded in mystery to this day

Today marks 35 years since since one of the most emblematic events  in Bulgaria’s post-communist history — the arson of the former Communist Party House. The causes behind the incident remain shrouded in mystery to this day. The criminal case..

published on 8/26/25 6:50 AM

The unique spectacle "Sound and Light" in Veliko Tarnovo - for the first time with live music

The unique audio-visual show "Sound and Light" in the Balkans, and in Europe, which recreates important moments from Bulgarian history against the backdrop of the centuries-old remains of heroic eras in the old capital Veliko Tarnovo, is celebrating..

published on 8/17/25 1:05 PM