Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Roma community in Bulgaria celebrates Roma New Year on January 14

Photo: BGNES

На Васильовден ромите честват своята Нова година
На 14 януари ромската общност в България празнува своя най-значим празник Васильовден или Банго Васил - „Куцият Васил“. Празникът е известен като „Ромската нова година“ и се чества от всички, независимо дали са християни, мюсюлмани или от друга религия. В различните краища на България на 14 януари празникът се отбелязва чрез сурвакане или чрез превъплъщаване на главата на семейството в ролята на Банго Васил, който хвърля в дома жито и ориз. Всичко това се прави с особена тържественост, защото се вярва, че носи плодородие, щастие и късмет. Заради противоепидемичните мерки здравните власти препоръчват сурувакането да е само в семейна среда, без да се обикаля по къщите.
On St. Basil's Day, the Roma celebrate their New Year 

On January 14, the Roma community in Bulgaria celebrates its most important holiday, St. Basil's Day or Bango Vasil - "Lame Vasil". The holiday is known as the "Roma New Year" and is celebrated by all, whether Christians, Muslims or any other religion. In different parts of Bulgaria on January 14 the holiday is celebrated by survakane or by incarnating the head of the family in the role of Bango Vasil, who throws wheat and rice at home. All this is done with special solemnity, because it is believed to bring fertility, happiness and luck. Due to the anti-epidemic measures, the health authorities recommend that suruvakane be only in a family environment, without going around the houses.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Cloudy weather, rainfall expected in Bulgaria on Friday

On Friday, the minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be from 6 to 11°C, in Sofia – 7°C.  During the day, it will be cloudy over most of the country. In the afternoon, rain will begin in Western Bulgaria, in the mountains above 2,000 meters - snow, and..

published on 10/16/25 7:25 PM

South Africa introduces visa-free regime for Bulgarians for stays of up to 90 days

The government of South Africa is introducing a visa-free regime for Bulgarian citizens holding ordinary passports for stays of up to 90 days , the Embassy of Bulgaria in Pretoria announced on its Facebook page. “We express our gratitude to the..

published on 10/16/25 4:16 PM

Bulgaria to receive two F-16 Block 70 aircraft “very soon”, says Bulgarian Air Force commander

Two more F-16 Block 70 aircraft are expected to arrive in Bulgaria very soon. This was announced by the commander of the Air Force, Major General Nikolay Rusev, in front of journalists. So far, Bulgaria has received four F-16 Block 70 aircraft..

published on 10/16/25 3:00 PM