Bulgaria

Good morning for everyone!
In this presentation I will present a few facts from the life of Bulgaria, which can really surprise everyone. However, before we move on to this, let us get some basic information about this country.
Let's start!

Bulgaria lies on the border between Asia and Europe in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula.
On a relatively small area of 110,000 km2
we encounter an extraordinary diversity of
landscape. The Danube Plain rises up to
the hills of the Old Plan, and the Medium
Mountain region is separated from the main
mountain range by the picturesque valley of the Rhodope, which stretches ​along the
border with Greece, while ​the Upper
Thracian Plain ends with
a beautiful Black Sea coast. ​

New entertainment centres, aqua parks, pubs, bars and restaurants are constantly being built in seaside resorts, each of which has something special to offer. Existing luxury hotels offer their guests a wide range of attractions - folklore evenings, a rich animation programme and live music concerts. Bulgaria is also high mountains, charming valleys and gorges of rare beauty rivers, monuments from a very distant and recent past, and finally modern tourist facilities.

Now let's go to the 10 curiosities about this country and let's check if something could surprise you!

Unlike most countries, by nodding up and down Bulgarians deny something. But when they want to express their approval, they turn their heads to the sides. This seemingly small difference in gestures, compared to most other nations, can cause misunderstandings, especially when foreign tourists are not aware of it. Imagine that you are asking a Bulgarian: Is it possible to enter here? And he kisses his head, saying ,,no". Probably someone unconsciously would go there. Now, after reading this curiosity, you already know that you should not go there. This is a very useful knowledge about the customs of this country!

It is in Bulgaria that remains dating back to 9,000 years of age have been found. Scientists discovered that they belong to a young girl who was baptized after a Hollywood star, Julia Roberts - a computer visualization based on a finding proved that the girl is similar to her. Who knows, maybe he is an ancestor?

Young people usually love partying and having fun with their friends. However, the record in feasting belongs to Bulgarians! More than 3,000 feast-goers drank about 500 litres of rakija at a giant table almost 400 metres long. The people of Sofia are masters of good fun, as evidenced by their world record for feasting at the longest table.

You may have seen the alphabet they use in Ukraine or Russia, for example. If you don't know what it's called, I'll tell you. That is Cyrillic! You may be surprised by the fact that for the first time Cyrillic was used in Bulgaria - an alphabetical magazine used today by Ukrainians, Russians and Belarusians, among others. The invention of this writing is attributed to the disciples of Cyril and Methodius. By the 12th century Cyrillic spread from Bulgaria to Serbia and Kievan Ruthenia. Today it is still used in all East Slavic languages and in most of the South Slavic languages.

Bulgarians constantly complain about the weather. The weather, as in any other culture, is an ideal topic for a chat in Bulgaria, and if you stay in Bulgaria for too long, then in December you will always say ,,Oh! when the winter is over!’’ You do not take into account the fact that it is a sunny, winter, windless day. The calendar shows winter, so long for spring. In July, however, it is necessary to emphasize the longing for the cold and say ,,Oh, I'm not afraid. . . when will the heat end?’’

Not all of us are or have been exemplary students. A truancy is the basis of every bad student. In Poland, students receive comments for their truancy. In Bulgaria, penalties for truancy do not threaten students, but their parents - if the children leave more than 5 hours of school per month, the parents lose the allowance per child.

Some of us start the day with yoghurt or eat it during the day, but not in large quantities. Bulgarians, however, use it for everything! In 1905 Bulgarian microbiologist Stamen Grigorov discovered a Bulgarian variety of bacteria, which is still used in the production of yoghurts all over the world. It is estimated that yoghurts of Bulgarian origin consume up to 2 billion people a year. They are credited with extraordinary healing and rejuvenating properties. Bulgarians use yoghurts as a refreshing drink with water and ice, a milky snack and a spice for many dishes. However, these are just a few of the many applications.

With reference to the previous slide, let's move on to another surprising piece of information about Bulgaria. Bulgarians live longer than other nations. According to scientists, this is due to low levels of stress, regular physical activity and. . . . bacteria contained in Bulgarian yoghurts. Inhabitants of this country like to do sports, eat healthily, and have an exceptionally positive attitude to life. That is why the young people in this country do not surprise anyone.

Bulgarians are used to congratulate everyone! Suppose that for a moment you become a Bulgarians and when the first snow falls, you say: ,,Congratulations on the first snow!’’ And it doesn't matter that the fact that the snow has fallen is not your merit. And when it's the first day of spring, you say: ,,Congratulations on the first day of spring!’’ In Poland this is unparalleled, so it could certainly surprise someone.

You may have heard about shed salad or you don't know what it is, but it's the most popular salad in Bulgaria! Bulgarians cannot imagine living without salads. For them, boiled potatoes with young onions are potato salad. They would call it a snowflower salad, and chopped tomatoes with mozzarella would be a tomato salad. Generally, however, the prepared vegetables are a salad. When some people can't imagine a film or a party without chips, Bulgarians can sit by the salad all night! When they go to a restaurant with friends, this one salad ordered by them is to accompany them for several hours.

Additionally, one interesting fact!
An example of a situation. You are moving in time and you are 40 years old. You are in Bulgaria. You meet a Bulgarian. You've been talking for an hour now, but the topics are over. Suddenly a Bulgarian asks you: ,,What do your parents do?’’ You are surprised because you are almost 40 years old. Why a question about parents? For Bulgarians, this is a very important question when getting to know a new person, regardless of whether you are 35 or 15 years old.

When you finish talking about your parents' activities, there will be a good moment to ask about your siblings. But you don't just ask ,,Do you have siblings?’’. You probably think: but why? The answer is simple. There is no word ,,siblings" in Bulgarians' language! Psst if you go now to check it in the translator then wait, I will save you that. After entering the word ,,siblings", you will see ,,братя и сестри’’, which means ,,brothers and sisters". The question should therefore be ,,Do you have a brother or sister?

,,What can surprise you with a selected European country?'' At the beginning of the presentation I asked myself many questions. I chose Bulgaria for personal reasons and also because I was sure that some of the customs of the people in that country are unparalleled and one of a kind. I hope that I presented in an accessible way what can surprise Bulgaria and Bulgarians themselves. If at least one fact has astonished you, I can announce my small success and say that I have presented the subject well. Greetings!
A few words at the end from the author
Natalia Cyran klasa gimnazjalna IIIb
Zespół Szkolno-Przedszkolny w Gomunicach