The First Zabor

For the past 2 weeks, all I have been hearing from my Baba and Dyado, neighbors and other townspeople was the Zabor. I can already imagine the confusion on so many faces. Zabor is a local (once a year) holiday where the town celebrates itself and its people. Every town/city in Bulgaria has a specific date/weekend for its Zabor. I was truly privileged to witness the one in my town. As the date got closer and closer to the holiday, my town, which has roughly the population 3,000 people, began to slowly blossom. At first the changes were minor. The cleaning of the town center, and the slaughtering of a my family's goat (which I didn't know existed) were just a few of the minor changes. However, by week's end, the town had a carnival, live entertainment, and many shopping kiosks (a bazaar of sorts). During the Zabor, I am pretty sure that the population of my town doubled or tripled. You see, it is customary for family to visit their loved ones during the Zabor, no matter the distance from the town. On Saturday, I and three other Americans were invited Na Gosti (the Bulgarian name for a household party) by my Babas daughter's family (who also has a Peace Corps Volunteer). However, before the na gosti, I and my host parents went to the Zabor. After slowly making our way through the Bazaar stands (selling anything from popcorn, Halva, and Bulgarian Doughnuts to batteries, comforters, and toys I haven't seen in America since the 90's), we made it to a shoe stand. There, I was graciously forced to take off my comfortable sneakers and put on sandals (that reminded me of the Dutch wooden shoes). "A Gift From Us", I was quickly told by Baba and Dyado in Bulgarian. The gift giving didn't end there. We stopped by a shirt stand, where my shirt was off before I even noticed. An addidas shirt was waiting in my Baba's hands. "Another Gift From Us", I heard them saying. By the time we sat down in a local Café, my American counterparts' smirks, showed that I was transformed into a Bulgarian. During the evening, the whole town became more and more festive as alcohol was taking its effect on many people. We also saw traditional Bulgarian Dance (the Horo) performed by 4 dancers. The Zabor culminated with the whole town performing the many distinct Horos and a 10 minute professional fireworks show in the background. It was 10:30 by the time we went Na Gosti and around 2 AM by the time I left for my 20 minute walk across town.

You should have been there!