Lazarica in Bulgaria

Old Church in NesseborLazarus, or Lazarus Day, is named after Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by the Lord Jesus Christ on the very eve of the Entry into Jerusalem. According to medieval writings, Lazarus lived for another 30 years in strict fasting and abstinence and was proclaimed the First Bishop of Kition, on the island of Cyprus.

On Lazarus Day, festive liturgies are celebrated in Orthodox churches in Bulgaria. The memory of the martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, who was killed by the invaders in 1802, is also noted.

On this day, groups of 5-6 young girls (lazarks) aged 10 to 16 years old go around the houses in the villages, sing ritual songs and dance with slanders about harvest and health. At the same time, all members of the host family are mentioned, in whose yard the “lazarks” entered. In response to cheerful songs "lazarok" hosts give them eggs and money. Nevertheless, the hostess of the house watches carefully so that the lazars raise their legs higher when dancing, so that the harvest in the new year is born higher.

It is believed that the first house in which girls enter, will be happy for the whole year. "Lazarks" do not stop all day - they bypass fields, forests and vegetable gardens, so that a rich harvest is born everywhere. In the evening of the same day, girls and boys gather in the center of the village and arrange a party where they walk, dance and sing.