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April 6, 2012Tsvetnitsa – Flower Day or Palm Sunday
Although Palm Sunday (Tsvetnitsa) is a common movable feast for all Christians commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in Bulgaria it is mostly celebrated as a Name Day, much like Iordanovden (St. Jordan’s Day) or Ivanovden (St. George’s Day). This year (2024) it falls on April 28th. Mark the date!
For us Bulgarians, the Sunday before Easter is an important holiday.
On this day, every person who carries the name of a flower, plant, tree, or any other known, and, arguably, unknown, form of vegetation, has a reason to celebrate. Not surprisingly, the name of the holiday for us is Tsvetnitsa, which means ‘Flower Day’. In my family, it has been a long-standing tradition to gather the whole extended family for a big lunch and exchange flowers since we have not one, not two, but five different family members adorned with flowery names:
- Lilyana x2 (from ‘lilac’ ),
- Dilyana (from ‘dilyanka,’ meaning a type of medicinal root),
- Tsvetelina x2 (from ‘tsvete’ meaning ‘flower’).
Just like on any other Name Day…
Тhe person celebrating, treats their friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. with chocolate or candy, while they give him/her flowers, or sometimes small gifts, in return. According to another tradition, guests can go to the house of the celebrating person uninvited, but he/she is expected to have prepared a feast for the guests. This, however, is dying down slowly because we too are becoming busier and busier and sometimes, alas, incapable of entertaining spontaneous guests. Don’t hesitate to try your luck, nonetheless!
If you happen to be visiting Sofia, or anywhere in Bulgaria, on this day…
You might notice all the flowers being sold and carried around everywhere. In fact, Bulgarians are big on flowers for any occasion. Not surprisingly, this holiday brings it to a whole new level. Why do we celebrate it this way? I am not sure, but it must have something to do with the Spring and the abundance of fresh flowers.
Those who aren’t lucky enough to be named after any type of greenery, can pass through the neighborhood church in the morning to pick up their own blessed willow branch to put over their home entrance. Tradition dictates that you should keep it there until it withers on its own. It is for health and wealth of the house and everybody who lives in it. In fact, this is probably the most widely observed religious side of the holiday in Bulgaria. So, you will see people carrying around willow branches and long lines in front of churches everywhere.
If you want to be able to join in the fun, here are some very common flower and other plant related names which are celebrated on Tsvetnitsa (note that we usually have a male and a female variant of most names) to guide you:
Flower names celebrating on Tsvetnitsa
- Tsvetelina or Tsveti, Tsvetina, Tsvetana, Tsvetan, etc. – all derivatives of the word for ‘flower’
- Trendafil, Trendafilka, Bozhur, Bozhura, Roza, Alben, Albena – ‘rose’
- Yagoda – ‘strawberry’
- Cheresha, Chereshka – ‘cherry’
- Zyumbyul – ‘hyacinth’
- Petunia – you guessed that one 😉
- Yavor – ‘sycamore’
- Yasen – ‘ash tree’
- Zdravko, Zdravka – ‘geranium’
- Bilyan, Bilyana, Belyan, Belyana – ‘herb,’ ‘medicinal plant’
- Violeta, Temenuga, Temenuzhka – ‘violet’
- Varba, Varban, Varban, Varbin, Varbinka – ‘willow’
- Gerguina, Gerguin, Dalia – ‘dahlia’
- Grozdan, Grozdanka – ‘grapes’
- Dafina – ‘bay leaf’
- Dilyan, Dilyana, Delyan, Delyana – type of medicinal plant
- Dinka – ‘watermelon’
- Detelina, Detelin – ‘clover’
- Eli, Elitsa – ‘fir tree’
- Zhasmin, Zhasmina,Yasmin, Yasmina – ‘jasmine’
- Iva – type of willow tree
- Iglika – ‘primrose’ or ‘cowslip’
- Kalin, Kalina, Kalinka – ‘lady bird’
- Kala – ‘calla lily’
- Kamelia, Kami – you should have guessed this one too!
- Karamfil, Karamfila – ‘carnation’
- Kamen – ‘stone,’ ‘rock’
- Lilyana, Lili, Lilia – ‘lilacs’ or ‘lilly’
- Lora – from ‘laurus’
- Neva, Nevena, Neven – ‘marigold’
- Nezabravka – ‘forget-me-not’
- Ralitsa – ‘larkspur’
- Rosen, Rosna, Rositsa – ‘fresh’ or ‘covered with dew’ (the real one, not the mountain drink one :P)
- Sinchets – small blue wild flower
Our Bulgarian readers, please, feel free to suggest additions to the list. / Нашите български читатели, моля ви предлагайте имена да се добавят към списъка.
Want to learn more about Bulgarian customs and traditions? Do not hesitate to join our daily free walking tours in Sofia.
Learn more about Easter in Sofia.
5 Comments
[…] with candy and bread, made in the form of a rooster. In Bulgaria, Palm Sunday is known as “Tsvetnitsa” (flower) or “Vrabnitsa” (willow). The day is mostly celebrated as the name day, so every […]
Margarita=daisy in bulgarian
margarita means daisy in bulgarian
If you wanted to give a gift to someone whose name represents a type of willow tree, what kind of gifts would you give?
Името Калина празнува не защото идва от “калинка” 😀 , а защото Калина (Viburnum) е род двусемеделни растения, включващ около 150-175 вида храсти, по-рядко малки дървета 🙂
И изглежда така: http://www.gradinata.bg/index.php?page=plant&plant_id=40&plant_type=10