WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Tue, 04/01/2008 - 15:35

You are in a remote region of Bulgaria, a few miles from the Turkish border, where Christianity and paganism blend into a bizarre mixture of faith and superstition.

where in bulgaria are you 19.jpg

Some believe Mediaeval knights came here in search of The Grail which was supposedly buried under an ominous rock, unleashing a spring of healing water. Others trust that early Christians came to drink from it a week after Jesus was crucified, thus explaining the legend about the blind ox that promptly regained its sight after sprinkling its eyes with water. Most probably the site is a former Thracian sanctuary, and believers from all over Bulgaria come here on the Sunday after Easter (4 May in 2008) to ritually slay lamb, light candles and hang old clothes on trees in the belief that in this way they will rid themselves of sickness and disease, and then imbibe rakiya.

OK, by now you've guessed you are in the Strandzha, and to make life easier for you we'll give you the topographical name of the ravine: “Yazmenski dol”. But everyone refers to it by another name, which literally means “Anti-Easter”.

Where in Bulgaria are you?

Issue 19

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