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Interesting Facts about Bulgaria

Trivia, oddities, and curious tidbits about Bulgaria.

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Did You Know?

15 curious facts about Bulgaria.

Storks are a common sight in Bulgaria. They build untidy nests on roofs and on the top of telephone poles. Storks are considered to bring good luck.
There are about 2,000 explored and unexplored caves in Bulgaria. The Magoura Cave contains unique wall paintings that date back to a prehistoric culture.
A century ago, respect for the male head of the family meant standing up whenever he entered a room. At meals, the family started eating only when the head of the family started, and when he finished eating, they stopped too.
About 70% of the world's attar of roses (a perfume ingredient) comes from Bulgaria. It is a component of the world's most expensive perfumes. Two thousand petals are needed to make a single gram of attar of roses.

Norair Nurikian, a weightlifter, won gold medals at the Olympics in Munich and Montreal, and is the coach of the Bulgarian weightlifting team.
Neshka Robeva, coach of Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics team, is regarded as an innovative leader in the sport. Under her leadership, Bulgarians dominated the sport for 10 years. During her athletic career, she won a total of 9 medals at European and World championships.
Fire-dancing, nestinarstvo, an ancient religious and ritual dance on burning embers, was believed to expel illness and bring health and blessings.
Parents may be fined 500 to 1,000 lev if their children fail to attend school regularly. Fines may also be imposed on parents if a student is held back a year.
Bulgar used to be a synonym for market gardener in several Balkan countries.
In Bulgaria, shaking the head from side to side means yes and nodding up and down means no.